Loss of Innocence
by rokerbaby93087
Summary: Finally finished! Please read and review. HBP spoilers!
1. Starting Over

It was an extremely dark and humid night on Privet Drive. In the shadows, a small crack was heard. Harry Potter stepped out onto the street, looking quite tired and weak. He sat on a bench and waited. Ron and Hermione had gone back for Bill and Fleur's wedding, but Harry had stayed behind. He couldn't stand seeing any of the Weasley's again for what might be the last time - especially Ginny. One good-bye was hard enough.

Soon two more cracks were heard farther away. "Ow! Ron! You stepped on me!"

"Sorry." Harry spotted his two best friends coming down the road. He stood up to greet them.

"So this is it, huh?" Hermione said, looking to number four.

"Yep." Harry mumbled, looking across the street. He turned to Ron and Hermione. "Listen - If you want, you can still go back. You don't have to come with me."

"Drop it already." Hermione said. "We're going whether you like it or not."

"But - If you -"

"Harry, we've been around you long enough." Ron interrupted. "If we haven't died by now -"

"That's not the point!" Harry snapped back. He sighed dramatically. "This is the same reason I didn't want to involve your family in this. If something happens to one of you, it'll be my fault. I don't think I could stand it."

"Nothing is going to happen," said Hermione softly. "If anything, you need us here for moral support. You look as if you're about to fall apart."

"I already did." Harry mumbled. "Well, if you're coming along, I guess I can't talk you out of it." He turned to number four. "You might want to come back in the morning. Vernon is not going to be happy."

"He has no say in it," said Ron.

"That's right," Hermione agreed. "You might not be able to use magic, but we can. If he doesn't let you in, we'll -"

"You won't do anything," interrupted Harry. "We're only staying here for one night. I have to keep coming back to make the protection magic work. If you hex them all, then they won't be so hospitable to us if we need protection later on."

"Okay," said Hermione, "Only if it's necessary. Right Ron?"

"But -" Ron started. Hermione raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Okay - I shall refrain from hurting the defenseless muggles, with or without magic."  
"If you hex them," added Harry. "I'll hex you both. Now come on before it gets any later." He lead the way up to the Dursley's house and knocked on the door. He could hear the television inside, so he knew someone was still awake. There was the sound of a lock being unlocked, and Dudley's face appeared through a crack in the door.

"Oh, it's you." Dudley pushed the door open and looked quite shocked when Ron and Hermione followed. Vernon was sitting in an armchair.

"So, you're back again, are you?" he said upon their entrance. "Figures – well it seems that you've brought some more friends. It's alarming how many you have. But at least you didn't bring the old guy this time -"

Before Harry knew what he was doing, he had his wand so close to Vernon that it was almost up his nose. He felt Hermione's hand on his shoulder. Harry lowered his wand and turned around. Ron stepped next to Harry, his wand also drawn.

"Don't be silly." Vernon said. "You can't do magic outside of school."

"Wanta bet?" Ron said, inching his wand closer. "As soon as you turn seventeen you can do whatever you want. And I turned seventeen more than three months ago. In three days he'll be able to do whatever he wants too. But until then -"

"Ron." Harry warned. Ron lowered his wand and stepped back. Harry turned to his uncle. "You remember what he said last year. I need to come back so that the magical protection will continue to work."

"But you're going back to school, aren't you? So it doesn't matter -"

"I'm not going back. I dropped out." Vernon chuckled. Harry felt the anger growing to the breaking point within him and whipped his wand back out. "I don't care which age I am." He walked closer. "Do not ever insult Albus Dumbledore or Hogwarts or anything magical in my presence or I swear I will torture you until your eyes bleed! Got it?" He nodded. "Good." Harry lowered his wand. "We need a place to stay for the night."

"And I don't think you'll have any problem letting us stay here, will you?" Hermione asked. "I don't make a habit of hurting anyone, but if you do anything to hurt Harry or Ron I will turn all of you into blast-ended skrewts."

"And she knows how to do it too," Ron added. "So I wouldn't push it."

"We'll stay up in my old room." Harry said. "And we'll be gone before you wake up." Before Vernon could say anything, the three of them went upstairs, pushing Dudley out of the way.

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"Eww." Hermione said as they entered his old room. "This is where you lived?"

"Better than the closet under the stairs." Harry said. The room had gotten very dusty with misuse. He looked at Hermione. "Would you mind?"

"Oh, yeah." She flicked her wand and everything cleaned itself up. Two blue sleeping bags had appeared on the floor. Harry fell on the floor beside the bed. "You okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Just tired. And hungry."

"You should've come to the wedding with us." Ron said, sitting on one of the sleeping bags.

"I already told you why I couldn't."

"Yeah, but -"

"Ron, for crying out loud!" Hermione exclaimed. "I swear you have less sensitivity than a dragon on a rampage." Harry smiled. He was glad that at least one of them understood.

"I can't think about her anymore, Ron." Harry said quietly. "If Voldemort reads my thoughts and sees her, then he could have her killed. Or use her as bait, like he did with Sirius. If she died, and it was my fault – I don't think I'd be able to live anymore."

"Well then, let's change the subject." Hermione interrupted. "Any luck with the other horcruxes?"

"Not much." Harry said. "Still nothing on Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Or R.A.B." He lied on the floor. "I'm not having much luck with this at all."

"You just haven't been looking in the right places, is all." Hermione said. "Plus you've been really flustered these last few weeks. So let's think. What would Gryffindor or Ravenclaw have had that would bee valuable to – to -" She took a deep breath and said quickly "Voldemort."

"Thanks." Harry said, smiling at her effort.

"Well, you should know, Hermione." Ron said. "You've had Hogwarts: A History memorized since the first train ride there."

"I have not! I've only read it six times."

"Which is about six more times than either of us have read it." Ron mumbled. "Try to remember something."

"I have tried, Ron. Believe me, I would tell you both the minute I remember anything. All I can think of for Gryffindor is the sword."

"No." Harry said quickly. "It's in -" He stopped, suddenly realizing that he couldn't say Dumbledore anymore…

"Yeah, I know. He would have already gotten that. As for Ravenclaw – I dunno. It's the house of intelligence, so maybe a book?"

"Maybe." Harry said, remembering Tom Riddle's diary… the Chamber… Ginny… Stop it Harry, he told himself. "We still have to remember Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup. And the snake. Any idea who R.A.B could be?"

"I looked in a magical history book while we were at the wedding." Hermione said. "No one of any historical importance."

"What about Borgen or Burkes?" Ron said. He had been so quite that Harry had almost forgotten he was there. "They both have the B, and we don't know their first names. Didn't you say that shop had the locket for a while? Maybe they took it back."

"Maybe." Harry said. He really wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. He yawned loudly.

"We should all get some sleep." Hermione said, standing up to get the light. "Maybe we will remember more when we can think clearer." Harry was pulling himself up when he spotted something. The loose floorboard under the bed – he had forgotten about that. Harry pulled himself under the bed, realizing that he didn't quite fit anymore.

"Umm Harry?" Ron said. "You sleep on top the bed, remember?"

"Shut up." Harry said, pulling himself back out after reaching into the hiding place. "There's a loose floor board under there. I used to hide stuff in there." Harry pulled the old box onto the floor and opened it. It was full of letters from Sirius, birthday cards, old sweets… Harry picked up Sirius's last birthday card to him and read it. Hermione and Ron peeped over his shoulder. Harry smiled and put the letter in his pocket. He slid the box back into its hiding place. "I think I'll keep this with me. The rest can stay here, for safe keeping." Hermione turned off the light, and the three of them went to sleep.


	2. Making a Change

Very early the next morning, Harry was in the Dursley's bathroom, getting ready to leave. He needed to shave badly, but he wasn't about to use anything that may have touched Vernon Dursley. As he washed his face, he heard a knock on the door. It was Hermione.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." Harry dried off his face and looked again in the mirror. "You know, I was thinking…"

"I guess you're entitled to do that eventually."

"I was thinking," Harry continued, "Maybe we should change the way we look. I mean, the Death Eaters know what we look like. Maybe if we were different, they might not notice us."

"Actually, that's a good idea." Hermione said. "You know what – we could stop in Diagon Alley, since we're going to London anyway." The three of them had agreed to go to a wizarding library somewhere in London that Hermione had heard about.

"We don't even have to go there. Wait – yes we do. I don't have any muggle money. You think it'll be horrible in Gringotts?"

"Yeah… Well, I have some money. As long as we're not too expensive."

"Too expensive for what?" Ron asked, poking his head in the door. Harry explained the plan. Ron looked slightly shocked.

"Are you up for it?" Harry asked him.

"I guess."

"You need to cut your hair anyway." Hermione pointed out.

"It's not that. It's just – I've never been into a muggle barber shop before."

"It's not that bad." Hermione said. "Almost the same. Except they actually cut it with their hands. None of that floating scissors stuff." The three of them walked to the room to grab their things, and then headed for the door. Hermione continued to convince Ron while Harry left a note to his aunt and uncle thanking them for letting them stay.

Harry met up with the two of them outside. "Where will we apparate to?" Ron asked. "If not in Diagon Alley, I mean. Won't the muggles notice?"

"I have a better idea." Harry said. "I hate apparation anyway."

"What's that?" Harry told him to light his wand and point it to the sky. "Why? It's light enough out here."

"Just do it." Within seconds, a purple triple-decker bus came zooming from the sky.

"The Knight Bus." Hermione mumbled. "Of course…"

Harry was the first to board. He was glad to see that Stan Shunpike had been released and was back to his old job. Harry greeted him and sat down. "You might want to strap yourselves in," he told Ron and Hermione.

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The plan went like this: the three of them each went to separate places (that weren't too far apart, incase something happened). Then they were to come out onto the street and see if they recognized each other. If not, then the plan had worked.

Harry made a different stop first – an eye doctor. He figured that the biggest give away was the glasses, as they were quite odd looking. He needed something different. Luckily, Harry had found a magical eye healer, so he could use his own money. The healer checked his eyes quickly, and then let Harry choose from the frames. He chose a thinner, plastic frame, with a green and black swirl in it. The healer insisted that they matched his eyes the best, but Harry didn't really care. Once the new lenses were popped into the frames, Harry put them on and pocketed his old ones, just in case.

Now for the hair, he thought. Harry entered the nearest barbershop and had his hair cut unusually short. It looked even more poofy than normal, but the hair stylist had shown him how to make it look good. Once Harry had slipped back on the new glasses and looked in the mirror, he hardly recognized himself. He wondered if Ron and Hermione would.

Harry walked back onto the street and began searching for his friends. He knew he'd be able to spot Hermione quickly – she would never change her hair. And Ron was about three feet taller than anyone else, so he would be easy to spot. Harry turned toward Diagon Alley and started walking. He passed a girl with straight black hair, and she smiled at him. Harry thought she was quite attractive, but then he realized – I know that smile…

"Hermione?" Harry asked, turning quickly.

"Harry?" They both approached each other and laughed.

"I never thought you'd change your hair."

"I did. I guess it was necessary. Besides, I can make it curly again if I want. Nice glasses."

"Thanks. Find Ron yet?"

"No. You look that way, and I'll look this way." They both searched for a half hour, but there was no sign of him. "D'you think he got lost?" Hermione asked.

"Honestly, you two." They heard. "If I were any closer I could poke you." They spun around. It took Harry a minute to recognize his best friend. Ron had also cut his hair shorter. He was wearing sunglasses and leaning against a building. Harry thought that he looked quite like Bill, with shorter hair. The three of them burst out laughing.

"Well, that was fun." Hermione said. "But I think we need to get serious now. That library is two streets down, I think."

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Ten minutes later, the three of them were in the Magical Library of London, located underneath an old teashop. They had to enter the teashop, and then go down several floors. It reminded Harry of the ministry.

Hermione searched for anyone with the initials R.A.B, while Harry and Ron looked for anything on horcruxes. There wasn't much, and soon they both got bored. "D'you like what Hermione did with herself?" Ron asked absently.

"I guess," Harry replied.

"I always liked her hair. I didn't think she'd change it." Harry eyed him suspiciously, but then continued to read.

"Looks like Voldemort isn't the only one obsessed with horcruxes. Some wizard in the 18th century made four. But Voldemort wanted to make seven… Guess it really was never done before." Then Harry had a thought. "D'you think they have books on Hogwarts in Flourish and Blotts? I mean, besides the history one."

"I'd think so."

"We should check there too." He got up to get Hermione.

"Good luck pulling Hermy from the history section." Harry stopped. Since when did either of them call her 'Hermy'? He shook his head and continued on.

"I don't think many books have been published on Hogwarts recently." Hermione said absently as she read. "But it's worth a try. Look here – there are a few R.A.B's, but they're all long dead. Whoever R.A.B was, I don't think they ever did anything important."

"No, probably not." Harry agreed. "No one really writes books on Death Eaters anyway."

The three of them abandoned the library and headed for The Leaky Cauldron.


	3. The Founders

Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! Don't worry about Harry and Ron fighting over Hermy – you'd have to read my other story (The Fairy Princess) to see some of that! ;)

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"Harry, come here." Hermione said, pulling him to the side. The three of them had just entered the Leaky Cauldron.

"What?"

"Hold still." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a makeup tube.

"Hermione -"

"Stay still." Hermione dipped her finger in the beige goo and put it on his forehead.

"There. The scar stuck out more now that your hair's shorter. I figured someone might notice."

"So, it's gone?"

"Yeah. Here, take a look." She pulled Harry to a mirror. She's right, he thought. The lightning bolt mark was completely gone.

"What're you two doing?" Ron asked.

"I had to take care of the scar. It was a dead giveaway." Hermione explained.

"Sure. Whatever you say."

"Ron!"

"Whatever you say, Hermione." The two of them walked out the back of the Leaky Cauldron, bickering the whole time. Harry ignored them, until he realized that one of them had to open the passageway. He cleared his throat loudly, and the two of them spun around.

"Oh." Hermione touched the bricks with her wand, and then continued to argue with Ron. Harry ignored them again and headed toward Flourish and Blotts.

There was absolutely no one on the streets. Some of the stores hadn't even bothered to open. To Harry's dismay, Flourish and Blotts still had the closed sign hanging in the door. Ron and Hermione were so busy fighting that they didn't notice.

"Will you two give it a rest already!" Harry screamed, spinning around. "We might as well go back. It's closed."

"Fred and George are open." Ron pointed out. "We should head down there. Maybe they know something."

"I doubt Fred or George, although they really are brilliant wizards, know anything on horcruxes or Voldemort." Hermione said crossly.

"That's not what I meant." Ron snapped back. "I meant maybe they know why all the other shops are closed. Maybe something happened."

Harry ignored what sounded like another argument in the works and headed down towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. To his surprise, there was only one customer in the store. Ron and Hermione soon followed him, more quite than usual. The girl employee was helping the other customer, but turned when she saw them enter.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked.

"We need to speak with the proprietors of this establishment." Harry said absently.

"Oh. I can get them for you. Has something gone wrong?"

"No. Just want to talk."

"Okay. Hold on a second." A few minutes later, Fred stepped out from the back room.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" He asked them. "And the lady?"

"It's us you dip wad." Ron said. "But thanks for calling me a gentleman." Fred looked at them for a moment. Harry pulled out his old glasses and held them up. Now he seemed to understand.

"What happened to you?" Fred asked.

"We changed so that we wouldn't be recognized." Hermione explained.

"Good idea. C'mon back." Fred led them to the back room, which was more crowded with products than before. "It's okay George, he said "It's just Won-Won and friends."

"Who told you that?" Ron shrieked.

"Ginny, of course. She was getting you back for last year. What'd you expect?" George said, coming out from amongst the boxes. Harry scolded his thoughts again. Stop it you stupid moron…

"So, what brings you to our embarrassingly empty door step?" George asked.

"We were wondering why every place in Diagon Alley is closed." Harry said, trying to switch thoughts in his head.

"Closed? They're not closed."

"Yes they are. We were just out there."

"No, they're not." Fred agreed. "You have to knock and say the password."

"What's the password?"

"Depends on which store you want."

"Good thing we didn't try to come here earlier." Hermione noted.

"Flourish and Blotts is the one we need." Harry said.

"Knock twice and say humbersniffel." George said.

"You're serious?"

"Yeah. All the stores have added security. Even this one."

"But we had no problem getting in." Ron said.

"Only because you didn't want to use our products for anything bad." Fred said proudly. "You can only enter if you have good intentions for the store, the products, the employees, or us."

"That's really brilliant." Hermione said. "Wonder why the other shops didn't think of that."

"Not as smart as us, are they?" George said with a smile. "We can help you get into Flourish and Blotts if you like. Why do you want to go there anyway?"

"We're looking for information on the founders of Hogwarts." Harry said.

"Then why'd you drop out of school?" George asked. "No offense, but Hogwarts keeps all its good biographies. Only that history one is for sale."

"And there are separate books on each founder." Fred added. "But you have to ask for those. They aren't really in high demand."

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Five minutes later, the three of them were looking at the biographies of Hogwarts' founders. Fred and George had gotten them in easily, and there had been one copy of each book on the founders. Hermione scanned Hogwarts: A History again to make sure she hadn't missed anything. Harry had the book on Ravenclaw, while Ron read the one on Gryffindor. (Harry figured it was pointless to read the Hufflepuff or Slytherin ones, as they already knew what those horcruxes were.)

"The sorting hat was Gryffindor's." Ron said. "But I guess he would have gotten that too."

Harry nodded, knowing too well who 'he' was. "There's nothing on Ravenclaw. She had a collection of books though."

"Maybe there was one on Hogwarts." Hermione said. "What other books would -" She took a deep breath "- Voldemort – want to use as a horcrux? I mean, he only liked Slytherin, right? So why would he bother on any other houses book?"

"A dark arts book, maybe." Harry said absently. "Or one on horcruxes. We won't ever know if we don't look in the collection."

"What became of it after she died?" Ron asked. "Does the book say?"

Harry read aloud: " 'After her death, some of Ravenclaw's books were given to local stores, but most of them were kept at her school. Many of them are still there to this day.' Great. Just when we leave Hogwarts we find that we would have been better off staying."

"Well, the term hasn't started yet." Hermione said softly "So, technically, we could still -"

"You two can, but I won't." Harry said quickly.

"Harry, honestly, you -"

"I'm not going back there, Hermione!" Harry snapped. "There is nothing you can say to convince me either."

"We could get help from someone that's already there." Ron said. Harry thought of Ginny – "Neville is still there, right? He'd do anything for you in a second, Harry."

"Yeah -" Harry said, not thinking of Neville at all. "How long till the term starts?"

"A month and a day." Hermione said.

"That's too long."

"Maybe McGonagall will let us in anyway." Hermione said. "She's there all summer anyway."

"How do you know?" Ron asked. "Wait, I forgot who I was speaking to."

Hermione threw a glance at him and continued. "She's trying to get the school back in order. They do plan on reopening, a little later on if the school isn't ready by September. I guess they decided that Dumbledore" Harry winced as if someone had said Voldemort "would have wanted it that way. I heard that there are going to be aurors everywhere, though."

"Not letting anyone out." Ron said "Not even for quidditch."

"Then I'm glad I'm not going back." Harry mumbled. "I'd be bored out of my mind without quidditch."

"We should stop by Grimmauld place." Hermione said. "Moody or Lupin or someone could help us get in."

"I'm not going." Harry said. "I mean to Hogwarts. But you two can."

"Good idea." Hermione said. "You need to rest anyway. Maybe there's something in Grimmauld place that could help us. It is a pretty old house."


	4. RAB

Note: Two chapters in one day! Woo!

This be a long one!

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Three loud cracks were heard just in front of what looked like a vacant lot. Harry spun and headed toward the invisible house.

"Harry?" Hermione asked. "Don't you think we should knock, or something?"

"It's my house." Harry said, finding the door. "I don't need to knock to enter my own house, do I? Besides, it only lets people that I want to come in enter." But then he stopped, and turned to Ron.

"Ginny's at the Burrow, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then." Harry entered, and the other two followed. Ron stopped, apparently not able to enter.

"Harry!" He said crossly. Harry rolled his eyes and let Ron in. "What was that for?"

"I was only joking." Harry said, looking behind him. When he turned around, Mad Eye Moody's wand was almost poking him in the eye.

"Who are you three?" He asked roughly.

"It's me, Harry." He reached up and rubbed Hermione's makeup off his forehead. Moody looked up, and then lowered his wand.

"You should knock before entering. Scared us all nearly to death."

"Sorry. Figured I didn't need to knock to enter my own house." Moody narrowed his eyes at Harry, and then limped off into the kitchen. Harry followed and sat at the table. Ron and Hermione joined him.

"Harry, is that you?" Tonks asked, entering the kitchen. Harry noticed that her hair was pinker than he had ever seen it. "And the other two as well. Good. Molly was about ready to have a heart attack when she didn't hear from you."

"I wrote to her three days ago." Ron mumbled.

"Where's Remus?" Hermione asked Tonks.

"Oh, you know, off with his fellow wolves."

"Don't you miss him?" Hermione asked, also noticing the pink.

"Of course I do. But he said he'd be back today. Monthly report, you know. Then he doesn't have to leave again until the next moon cycle." Harry could tell why she was so happy today. He wished that he felt the same way. He wished that Ginny had been there, even though it was dangerous. He would have liked someone else besides Hermione to comfort him. "You three look like you're starving."

"Very much so." Ron said, sounding a bit excited.

"Well, you're in luck. Your mum was here only yesterday and made a whole bunch of beef stew." Harry would normally have felt good about this, but something irked him. If only they had come a day earlier…

Tonks brought each of them a bowl of soup. Ron dived in immediately. Hermione hit him over the head.

"Ow!" Ron said, choking on the soup. "What was that for?"

"You're such a disgusting eater! Honestly, Ron, it isn't going to run away." She sighed and went for her own soup, but stopped when she saw that Harry wasn't eating. "Are you feeling okay?"

Harry nodded, staring at his stew. Suddenly he had lost his appetite, and Ron had nothing to do with it. Hermione reached over and put her arm around him.

"It's okay. Really. I know how you feel. You should eat anyway." She kicked Ron in the shin for the same reason as before. "You haven't eaten in days -"

Harry got up from the table. "I'm not really hungry," he said to Tonks. Harry began walking around the house, not knowing exactly where he was going to. He entered a random room and sunk into a chair. He noticed that it smelt like dog. "What am I going to do Snuffles?" Harry whispered, looking up at the ceiling. "Someone please tell me what I'm supposed to do."

He rolled his head forward and stared across the room lazily. The Black family tree was staring back at him. Harry got up and went to it. He found Sirius's name, touched it, and smiled. Not to far away were the Malfoy's. Harry suddenly felt the urge to rip that part of the tree off. But, he thought, Draco hadn't actually done it. If he had really wanted to kill Dumbledore, then he would have done it in a second. Harry decided to be a little more understanding to Draco – but to rip Snape's throat out. That stupid git, Harry thought. If I ever see him again I'll –

Harry stopped the threat in mid thought. Something had caught his eye. Over near Sirius was another name… He spun around so fast that he almost fell over, and then ran to get Ron and Hermione.

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"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of it? Oh, sometimes I am so oblivious…" Ron snorted behind her. "Regulus A. Black. Wonder what the A stands for?"

"Does it matter?" Harry asked. "Now we have to figure out where he hid it."

"It was the locket, wasn't it?" Ron said. "Didn't we find a locket?"

Hermione looked as if she were about to correct him, but stopped herself. "Yes! We did! Remember? We couldn't open it!"

"D'you remember if it had an S on it?" Harry asked.

"Not sure… but if we can find it again…"

"I remember where it is." Ron said. Hermione looked at him, obviously surprised. "I'm smarter than I look."

"Or at least you have a good memory." Harry said. "Let's go."

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"Are you sure it was here?" Hermione asked. They had searched the whole room, and there was no sign of the locket.

"Yes, I'm sure." Ron said. "D'you think Sirius knew about it? Maybe he moved it."

"I doubt it." Harry said. "He wouldn't have moved it anyway. If anything he would have gotten rid of it. Why would you want Slytherin's locket in your house? Especially since it means so much to Voldemort."

"Well, he must have gotten rid of it." Hermione said, looking very disappointed. "At least we know who R.A.B. was."

Harry sat down on the floor. Sirius wouldn't have gotten rid of it. He would probably have thought it was nothing much, maybe something of his mothers. But someone had moved it, and within the last year.

Think Harry, he told himself. Who was here that would have known about it and moved it? The Order couldn't have known. Dumbledore wouldn't have known, or else he would have already taken care of it. And none of the younger people knew what it was until now. Suddenly, Harry got up. He had an idea… "Kreacher!" he called loudly. The house elf popped into the room and bowed slowly.

"Yes master?" Kreacher asked, looking quite annoyed.

"Where is Slytherin's locket?"

"Kreacher does not know what the master speaks of."

"Kreacher, I command you to tell me where the locket is!"

"Harry," Hermione said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "He doesn't know -"

"Kreacher, where did your old mistress keep her jewelry?" This seemed to register with the house elf. He sighed, mumbled something about them stealing his poor mistresses priceless jewels, and walked off slowly. The three of them followed. Kreacher went to a room just down the hall and pointed to an old box on a shelf.

"Stay here." Harry said to Kreacher, who looked like he might sneak off. Harry pulled down the box and dumped it onto the floor. Kreacher looked like he might faint. Harry and Hermione dug through the jewelry, while Ron kept an eye on Kreacher.

"No locket." Hermione said sadly.

"Kreacher," Harry said, standing up. "Did you ever see Regulus with a locket?"

Kreacher looked shocked. "You should not speak of Kreacher's master in such a tone."

"He's not your master anymore. I am, and I command you to answer my question."

"Yes, Kreacher did see a locket." Harry felt his spirits rise a bit. "Many years ago."

"Do you know what he did with it?"

"Master hid it."

"Where?"

"In the room you were just in."

"But it's not there, Kreacher. Someone moved it."

"Then Kreacher does not know where it is."

"Yes, you do." Hermione said. "No one else knew where it was except you. You had to move it." Kreacher kept his mouth shut.

"Good try," Harry said, "but he doesn't have to answer you. Did you move the locket, Kreacher?" The house elf shook his head. "Did you see it being moved?" Kreacher stopped, saying nothing. "Answer me or I will slam your ears in the oven door." Hermione looked absolutely appalled.

"The bad master moved it."

"Who's the bad master?" Harry asked, but he already knew the answer. Sirius… Kreacher did not answer. "Never mind. Where did he move it to?"

Kreacher sighed again. "I will answer only if you replace the mistresses' jewels." Hermione zoomed them back to the box and then back onto the shelf. Kreacher sauntered off again.

They were lead to an old broom cupboard. Kreacher entered and pointed up. Harry squinted in the darkness to see what he pointed to. There was a ladder, going straight up for what looked like forever. Harry stepped in as Kreacher scurried out. He reached up for the ladder, but was knocked sideways as Ron and Hermione hurdled into him. The door slammed shut and locked.

"Kreacher!" Harry screamed from under Ron.

"Harry, let him go." Hermione said as she lit her wand. "He won't be much use after this anyway."

The three of them stood up as best as they could in the small space and looked up. "Why would you put a ladder in a cupboard?" Ron asked.

"Maybe it's an extra passageway." Hermione said. "In case of emergency – like a fire escape."

"Or maybe they were hiding something." Harry said, reaching for the ladder. It was just beyond his reach. "Help me up." He said to Ron.

"Are you sure about this?" Hermione asked. "Maybe I should go." Harry turned toward her voice, giving her a look that he knew she couldn't see. "What if something's up there? You can't use magic yet."

"So? When has that ever stopped me before?"

"It will be pretty hard to get out of this one when Dumbledore isn't there to defend you." Hermione said crossly. Harry stopped reaching and stepped out of her way, quite angry at her. Ron boosted her up to the ladder. Harry could hear her climbing.

"See anything?" Ron asked.

"No, not yet." She continued to climb. "Wait – there's a landing up here."

"Be careful." Ron said up to her. Harry was still too angry to speak. They heard her struggle to pull herself up. Then they saw her wand light.

"There's a lot of room up here. It looks like an attic." The light dimmed as she moved on. "D'you remember what kind of box it was in?"

"No, sorry." Ron said. Hermione screamed. "Hermione? D'you need us to come up there?"

"No. It was a spider, sorry."

"You can go up, Harry." Ron said, backing away from the ladder.

"Do you see it or not?" Harry asked heatedly.

"Keep your hat on, I'm looking." The light dimmed and grew brighter as she moved around. "No – no sign of a locket." Harry swore under his breath and reached for the ladder. Ron helped him up.

"You stay down here," he said, looking down at Ron. "In case something happens."

"No problem." Ron said, backing away from the ladder again.

"You didn't need to come up, Harry." Hermione said as she helped him up. Harry ignored her and began searching. Twenty minutes later, he was convinced that Kreacher had lied to them.

"I'm going to iron that house elf's hands." He said crossly. Hermione looked shocked. "There's a difference between good house elves and Kreacher, Hermione - good house elves don't try to have their masters killed."

"Maybe we could try looking in the room again." Hermione suggested. "Maybe there's a hole in the wall or something." Harry helped her to the ladder and waited until she got down, as he didn't think it could hold more than one person at a time. As her wand light dimmed, Harry spotted something shine.

"Hermione! Stop!" She began to climb the ladder again. On the opposite wall, staring right at Harry, was something gold. "Get down and shine your wand up here." Hermione did as she was told, and Harry reached out as far as he could toward the shiny thing.

"Harry, be careful!" Ron warned. Harry reached out and just managed to grab the shiny thing, but he lost his footing and fell.

Hermione gasped. Harry banged of the wall sharply, but grabbed onto a rung in the ladder. "Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah." Harry climbed down the ladder, and Ron broke open the door. Seconds later, Harry was walking toward the kitchen with Slytherin's locket firmly in his hand.


	5. Birthday Surprises

Note: Ahh! I love you all! Reviews are so great. You made my day better. (After 8 hours in the sun and coming home to find my site host down…)

I do find that I write better after reading any of the HP books. Maybe you should try it. ;)

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Harry rolled over in his bed. The sun was just starting to peak through the blinds in the window. He opened his eyes to see what time it was, but someone else was in the room with him. He couldn't see much because of the light.

She was an angel. She had come with the sun. Harry had had this dream before. She leaned over to kiss him.

Wait a second, Harry thought. This wasn't the same dream. Usually she disappeared right as he kissed her. But this time, she was real…

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Aren't I allowed to be here?"

"I told you before -"

"Relax." She said, kissing him again. "I just wanted to say happy birthday."

"You shouldn't be here. If he sees you -"

"Calm down." Harry sat up in bed, letting his eyes adjust to the light. He reached out and touched her to make sure she was real. She reached to him and grabbed his hand. "It's okay. Really."

"No, it's not. I told you before why we can't -"

"Give it a rest already. I know how to protect myself."

"So did Sirius. So did Dumbledore. It doesn't matter. Whoever he wants dead will die." He squeezed her hand. "And I don't want anything happening to you."

She was quiet for a minute, thinking about what to say next. Finally she looked at him and said, "I want to go with you."

"No!" Harry screamed, nearly jumping out of the bed.

"But -"

"No Ginny! No! You can't!"

"But you let Ron and Hermione -"

"I tell them everyday to leave but they won't. Nothing I say can persuade them."

"And nothing you say can persuade me." She squeezed his hand a bit harder. "I want to be with you." Harry stuttered for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "Stop being noble. I think I can help you a lot."

"You're not coming."

"I want to help you."

Harry thought about it. Maybe she could help without actually going with us, he thought, remembering Ravenclaw's book collection. "You can help," he said, "but you can't come with us."

"Then how -?" Harry quickly explained to her about the horcruxes, the founder's objects, and Ravenclaw's collection. "If you could find that book -"

"I will." She said quickly. "I won't sleep until I do."

"No, you will sleep. We have three others to search for, so if you're looking at the books then we could move on…. Get Neville and Luna to help you."

"But I -"

"It's a big library. You can't do it on your own."

She sighed. "Okay. If I must." Harry leaned forward and kissed her. "Now, back to that birthday thing…" She said, kissing him again. "Mum's got a birthday breakfast waiting for you."

"It's five AM."

"She got a bit excited." Harry laughed. Ginny stood up and helped him off the bed. "You might actually get something good – Ron's still asleep."

They held hands as they walked, partly because Harry was still half asleep. On their way into the kitchen, Harry spotted someone familiar lying back on a couch and looking quite comfortable. Tonks rushed past them and headed for him.

"Really, Dora, I'm okay." Remus said. "Sit down for a second."

"Oh Harry!" Mrs. Wealsey exclaimed. She ran over and hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay! We haven't heard from you in weeks! And you didn't come to the wedding!"

"Phlegm was quite disappointed." Ginny mumbled.

"Come in here and have something to eat!" Mrs. Weasley ushered him into the kitchen. Harry wasn't all that hungry, but he ate anyway. Ginny sat next to him and set her head on his shoulder.

Just as he was looking for an excuse to leave the table, he heard Mad Eye limping around. Harry stood up quickly – there was something he needed to ask him…

"Excuse me? Moody?" Harry asked, entering the room where Remus was lying.

"Yeah? What is it boy?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with something – umm… it's an over the summer project, but I'm not quite sure how to finish it -"

"What's it on?"

"Horcruxes." Moody looked shocked, and Lupin slid himself up a bit to hear better.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, right? Didn't know they taught about horcruxes."

"Well, I have most of it done, except I couldn't find anything on how to get rid of one."

"It's the same as you'd get rid of a person, isn't it?"

"You mean by killing it?"

"Yes. I think that's the easiest way. An assignment, you say? I didn't know they gave any out, since the school might not even open."

"I think the ministry decides those kinds of things. It is a NEWT lever class."

"Yes." Moody said, apparently not believing him. "If you'll excuse me." Moody stood up and left the room, heading upstairs.

"Harry?" Lupin said after Moody had left. "We both know there wasn't any assignment. Want to tell me what's going on?"

"It's kind of between Dumbledore and myself. I promised I wouldn't tell."

"Ah, always the loyal one." Lupin said, nodding. "Yes, I guess Voldemort's horcruxes would be something that should be kept secret." Harry's jaw dropped. How did he know -? "Yes, he told me about it as well. I wasn't sure why at the time – What could I do about it? But now I think he suspected something – wanted to make sure someone else could help you, just in case. So, how's the search going? There were seven, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, still shocked. "But he got the ring, and I got the diary years ago. And we just found the locket yesterday." He pulled it out of his pocket and held it up.

"I guess that's why you wanted to know how to destroy one."

"Yeah." Harry set the necklace on a table. "I've been saving my first non restricted spell for this." He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the locket. "Avada kedavra." Harry said quietly, so as not to alarm anyone.

The locket spun quickly and whistled like a teakettle. Harry moved back. Black smoke poured from the locket. It sparked and jumped across the room, landing in an old vase.

"What was that?" Tonks said, entering the room slowly.

"Nothing, Dora." Remus said. "It was nothing."

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Harry spent the rest of his birthday lying in bed. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley would not let him move. As he lied there, Harry examined the locket. Inside was a picture what looked to be Voldemort's mother. There had been another picture on the opposite site, but it looked as if that side had been torn out angrily. Harry guessed that it had been where Tom Riddle senior's picture had been. Voldemort didn't like him much – that would explain why he tore it out before creating the horcrux.

Harry wondered if Voldemort could feel it when he destroyed the locket. Dumbledore had told him no, but still Harry wondered. How could you not feel a part of you dying?

Ginny came in and sat next to him in bed, pulling him into her arms. Harry leaned back against her, still looking at the locket. "That's a pretty locket." Ginny said.

"It was Slytherin's." He closed the locket and showed her the S.

"Oh – where'd you find it?"

"In an old broom cupboard." Harry pulled himself away from her and turned to look at her. "Listen, Ginny – tomorrow we have to leave again. We can't waste any time getting rid of these."

"I know."

"You should go back to the Burrow with your mum. She needs someone there to comfort her. She seemed a little sad about Ron going with me."

"It's not just Ron. All of her boys are involved in this in some way. Dad and Bill and Charlie are working with the ministry; Fred and George are making those products for the aurors; Ron's with you; and, well, you know about Percy -"

"He never came back again?"

"No. We haven't heard from him since last Christmas."

"See? You need to stay with her, at least until school starts again."

"_If_ it starts again." Ginny said. "They've been having financial issues, from what I heard."

"You still can't come with me." Harry said, seeing where the conversation was leading.

"But, Harry!" Harry shook his head. "Don't leave me alone with Phlegm! She might be my sister in law, but that doesn't mean I like her any more."

"You can't come." Harry said slowly. "End of story. Be glad you get to help at all." She looked sadly at him. "No." Ginny leaned against him and looked up at him. "No. It won't work."

"Okay," she said, sitting upright again. "Well, can you at least stay for all of today?"

"Today's nearly over. There'd be no point in leaving now."

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Harry lied there that night, holding Ginny close to him. He wished that they could stay like this forever. If he really wanted to, he could forget about Voldemort and stay right here forever.

But something in him said no. Harry remembered something that Dumbledore had said to him once. Something about choosing between what is right and what is easy. Harry guessed this was one of those times.

Hermione woke him up early the next morning. They were off to find more information on Ravenclaw and on where else Voldemort might have hidden a horcrux. Ginny had herself so tangled around him that it took a while for Harry to get out without disturbing her.

He went into his trunk (which he had decided to keep at Grimmauld place while he was away) to get his invisibility cloak, scolding himself for forgetting it before. The Marauder's Map fell out. Harry picked it up and looked at Ginny. She could use this more that I could –

Ten minutes later, Harry was ready to leave. He left the Map on the bedside table with instructions on how to work it, kissed Ginny on the cheek, and left without a sound.


	6. Old Memories

Note: I love you all to death! Reviews rock!

I feel so special…

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"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. Very sure." Harry said. The three of them had been granted access to Hogwarts anytime in September, as long as they had an auror accompany them to the gates. The school was staying open, unless something else happened. McGonagall had gladly let them in.

"Come on, Harry. We need you there." Ron said, "You're the only one who knows what we're looking for."

"It's a book Ron." Harry said angrily. "It can't be that hard to find. Besides, I need to think of other horcrux hiding places." Harry had been searching his brain for weeks trying to remember anything that might be useful, but had come up with nothing.

"D'you think the memories are still there?" Hermione said absently.

"What?"

"The memories. The ones he showed you. Maybe if you look at them again you can, you know, find something you might have missed."

"I'm not going back." Harry said, although he did think that it was a good idea.

"Okay, but maybe Professor – or, I mean Headmistress McGonagall can let us borrow them."

"We don't have a pensive."

"I'm sure someone in the Order has one." Ron said, "Actually, I think Bill has a pensive. I've seen him use it before."

"So, if we could get them, would you -?" Hermione started.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt." Harry agreed.

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While the two of them were gone, Harry went back to Grimmauld Place. He figured that it was a safe place to think without having to worry about someone attacking him. Harry was glad but also slightly disappointed that Ginny was at school. For a second he wished that he had gone with Ron and Hermione –

Stop it Harry, he told himself. You need to think about horcruxes. Not Ginny. Horcruxes. He thought of all the places Dumbledore had shown him in the memories. Nothing was ringing a bell. Hopefully they would get those memories.

Harry sauntered up to his room and fell onto the bed. This isn't working – He was far too tired and preoccupied to think about Voldemort. He rolled over and fell to sleep.

When he woke up, Harry spotted something on the bedside table. It was a letter… He opened the envelope, and two small papers fell out. Harry recognized the handwriting. Ginny… Harry smiled. He wondered how long it had been sitting there. The first one said:

_His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad _

_His hair as dark as a blackboard, _

_I wish he were mine; he's really divine, _

_The hero who (will conquer) the dark lord_

Harry had seen the poem before… years ago… He had forgotten about it. He smiled at the last line – he was glad that she supported him.

The second parchment wasn't parchment at all – it was a picture. A very small picture… Ginny sat in front of a tree, smiling at him and blowing kisses. Harry attached the picture to the back of the poem and put it in his pocket with the birthday card from Sirius. He was thankful that Ginny would now always be with him. All he had to do was look in his pocket…

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked. He could hear her and Ron hurdling up the stairs. "Harry, Harry, Harry!" The two of them nearly busted down the door.

"What is it?" It took them a minute to respond, as they were both out of breath. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out a collection of bottles. "We got them." Harry took the bottles from her. He recognized each of them. Yes, they had gotten them. Now all he needed was a pensive.

"Wait a second." Harry said. He pulled a skinny blue bottle from the pile. "I've never seen this one before."

"Well, we had to guess." Ron explained. "He had a whole closet full of them."

"We figured that, since he used those memories more recently, that they might be near the front. So we just took all the ones in front." Hermione added.

"And McGonagall let you take them?"

"Well, we had to pass all these test so that she was sure of who we were, and that we weren't under any kind of curse." Ron said. "Guess we convinced her. After that she let us take whichever ones we wanted."

"Write to Bill about the pensive." Harry said. "I need to look at these as soon as I can." He gathered all of the bottles together and set them gently into his trunk. Then he locked it and set a password, so that it could only be opened if you said the right word and if you had the key. Harry did the spell non-verbally, so that not even Ron and Hermione knew the word, although they could have guessed it. "They should be safe in there."

"You think?" Ron said.

"Go owl Bill, Ron." Hermione said.

"Yes, your highness." Ron mumbled as he left, looking quite annoyed.

"Did you find the book?" Harry asked Hermione.

"No. We looked for four hours, and there were five of us. Luna, Neville, and Ginny helped." Harry's thoughts switched as Hermione said her name. Stop it, you idiot. "I don't think it's in there, Harry."

"It's there. You just didn't find it."

"Harry, we searched everywhere -"

"The restricted section?"

"Well, no, but we couldn't -"

"Then you didn't search everywhere. What about the common rooms? Maybe someone took it out."

"Harry, honestly, how could we -?"

"We need to find this book, Hermione. It's in the school. I know it. I can feel it." Harry thought for a minute. "He wouldn't have hidden it in the library. It'd be to easy to find." Hermione opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but then changed her mind. "What?"

"Oh, it's a stupid idea."

"You're ideas are never stupid. What is it?"

"I was thinking – maybe he hid it in the Chamber."

That's a stupid idea, Harry thought. How could he have gotten in there? Well, he had opened it before, but – Harry's jaw dropped.

"What?" Hermione said.

"Hermione… you are defiantly the smartest person on earth."

"That's what they tell me." She joked. "Why, do you think it's there too?"

"I know it's there. He came back for a job. In one of the memories, he came back for a teaching job."

"So you think he did more than just give them an application?"

"Of course. Or, if not, he did open the Chamber before that."

"Yeah, but he was only a kid."

"He created the diary when he was sixteen. Why couldn't he have done it to another book, that just happened to be Ravenclaw's, that he found in the library? Maybe that's when he got the idea."

"What idea?" Harry didn't answer her. His mind was going too fast. Voldemort had decided to make horcruxes, had tried it out on the diary, had found Ravenclaw's book, and had then decided to make some object from every house a horcrux as well. That way he'd have five, and he could pay homage to his favorite place.

Hermione waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello? Harry?"

"I need to go to Hogwarts." Harry mumbled. "Now."

"Don't be silly. It's eight in the evening. By the time we'd get there -"

"We could apparate to Hogsmeade…"

"Yes, but the curfew is seven now, not nine. They'll never let us in. Just wait until tomorrow." She sat next to him on the bed and put a hand on his shoulder. "I heard they let quidditch come back. There's a Gryffindor match tomorrow."

"That's good." Harry mumbled.

"I thought you'd like to see a -"

"I don't want to see anything. It's good because no one will be in the school. I can get in quickly and get out quickly. Myrtle might be a problem though. When do they start letting people into the school?"

"At ten AM. But if you want to go during the quidditch match, we'll have to leave by 6 PM."


	7. Into the Chamber

Notes: Ahh! I kiss you all! I started this story 8 days ago and I have 792 hits! Well, 500 of those were probably me rereading it, but still – I'm on 10 people's alert list, and I'm in 3 c2s (and I don't even know what a c2 is).

I think I'll write another one today, cause I don't feel like helping with the cleaning. (My sister's birthday is tomorrow.)

One (actually 2) thing I want to clear up though – whoever posted this in a review, I'm not picking on you, I just want to clear it up for everyone:

#1: Harry's reaction to hearing Ginny's name: He hasn't seen her in months, then suddenly he sees her again, then she's gone again. The poor boy's heart is going in circles. I'm trying to show just how much he loves her. It might be useful later on (I'm not sure – I don't have the ending set yet.) But I am quite the romantic at heart. ((winkwink))

#2: Ginny wanting to go with Harry: She said she understood that he wanted to do it by himself, not that she accepted it or agreed with it. And Ginny is a strong girl – she loves her man, and would probably want to be right there with him rather than waiting back home.

Again, not picking on you, but just clearing up. I love all my reviewers more than my cat. (No not really…)

Now, on with the chapter! Another long one!

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Harry and Hermione popped into Hogsmeade. Ron had stayed behind at Grimmauld Place, because Bill was supposed to stop by with the pensive. Harry remembered the last time he had popped into Hogsmeade….

"Harry?" Hermione asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah." Harry said, looking up at the castle. "I'm not going to like this at all, but I have to do it."

"Yes, you do." Hermione pushed him a bit to get him going. "I know it's hard, but -"

"It must be done." Harry ended. The two of them walked quickly up to the gates. Filch came out slowly.

"Oh, it you again." He said when he saw Hermione. "Weren't you here yesterday? Why don't you just come back to school if you like to visit so much?"

"Thank you for letting us in, Mr. Filch." Hermione said, pushing past him.

"He hasn't improved much." Harry mumbled to her after they were farther away.

"It's kind of the talk of the school. The famous Harry Potter and his friends drop out of school."

"Of course." Harry said. He tried not to look to his left, where a white tomb was glistening in the sunset. But he couldn't look to his right either – there was a quidditch match going on. So he just looked down and followed Hermione until they got to the entrance. Filch had left the doors unlocked.

The two of them walked quickly to McGonagall's office. Hermione figured they should tell her the plan before they went searching the school. More than a few people stopped and stared as they passed.

"Ms. Granger, I didn't expect to see you again so soon." McGonagall said as they entered the office. Harry noticed that she hadn't changed the office much. Maybe she hasn't had the time… "And Mr. Potter. I think you've figured out that leaving has made you an even bigger celebrity than you were before."

"I need to get into the Chamber." Harry said quickly, trying not to look at the portraits above him.

"What? Why?"

"Because. I was just letting you know before I started running around your school."

"You know that Albus sealed the Chamber up years ago."

"I can open it." Harry said, turning to leave the office. "Don't worry." Hermione stayed behind to talk with the Headmistress, but Harry was already speed walking toward Myrtle's bathroom.

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Harry arrived and looked at the sinks. He wondered if the basilisk was still down there… it had to be nearly rotten by now…

Just as he found the correct sink, Hermione entered the bathroom. "Want to come along this time?" he asked her.

"I guess. I didn't get to last time. What about the basilisk?"

"I killed it, remember? But it will be interesting to see what's become of it since then." Harry told the Chamber to open, but it wouldn't budge. "Hmm… he really sealed this thing."

"Try a different word." Hermione suggested. Harry tried every enter word he could think of, and every weird word that popped into his head, but nothing would open it.

"Open, damnit." Harry said, kicking the sink.

"I don't think that's going to work."

Harry sat down on the floor and thought. What word would he use? With Dumbledore, you could never tell… Harry suddenly wanted to strangle Snape more than ever.

"Who's there?" said a whiney voice. "Who are you?"

"It's okay Myrtle. It's me. Harry." Moaning Myrtle stuck her head through a closed stall door.

"Oh. What are you doing here? I thought you left for good."

"I need to get into the Chamber. I need to find something down there. But it won't open."

"That's because you didn't say the right password." Myrtle said, looking as if she knew it.

"What is it?" Myrtle laughed and pulled her head back through the door. "Myrtle! I need that password!" Harry got up and went to her stall. She flew through him, making Harry feel as if he had suddenly apparated to Antarctica.

"Why would I tell you?"

"Myrtle, please." Hermione pleaded. "We really need to get down there. If we don't, then Harry can't destroy Vol – V – oh you know."

Myrtle seemed to have a slight change of heart. "Well, you were always nice to me." She said, looking at Harry. "Okay, I'll tell you. You point your wand at it and tell it to open."

"I already did that Myrtle." Harry said.

"Not in that snake tongue. I watched him set the password. I think it was in mermish."

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed. "That's the only language – Voldemort – doesn't know!"

"Or anyone else, for that matter." Harry said. "So now we're stuck."

"We do have merpeople here. Dumbledore set all the protection barriers in mermish last year."

"I don't suppose you know mermish?" Harry said.

"No. I didn't think it would be necessary, as I don't like to swim much anyway – but I know where we can find it. I'll be right back." Hermione sprinted off. Harry wondered where she was going, but then hit himself for even thinking about it. The library…

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"Okay, I got it!" Hermione said. She ran quickly to the sinks and murmured something Harry couldn't understand. The sinks split apart.

"Hermione, if Ron didn't like you so much I'd kiss you."

"What!" Hermione protested, but Harry had already slid down into the Chamber. "Harry!"

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They soon found that finding anything in the Chamber wasn't going to be easy. Harry wished that they hadn't created that cave in…

"It's really disgusting down here. I'm glad I didn't come last time. It's bad enough on it's own, without the giant highly poisonous snake." Harry agreed and climbed through the hole on top of the caved in rocks. He could just barely fit through.

"I never thought I'd have to do this again." Harry said as they came up to the Chamber entrance. Harry opened it, and a horrible smell ran straight into them. Harry fell backward, nearly vomiting up the little that he had eaten for breakfast. He told it to close. They moved back away from the stench. "I dunno about you, but I'm not going in there." Harry said.

"There's a spell that blocks the sense of smell." She said through gasps of air. "I can't remember exactly how to pronounce it though."

"It's pronounced 'arretezlodeur'." They heard from on top of the rock mountain. "And you shouldn't leave Chamber entrances open like that." Ginny Weasley walked down the rocks slowly.

"How'd you know we were here?" Harry asked.

"They don't keep you a secret, Harry. I heard you were here, and I went to check the map. I saw you in Myrtle's bathroom. Figured you'd be coming here. Either that or you have a particularly odd attraction to whining ghosts."

"What about quidditch?"

"Didn't Ron tell you? I'm not playing this year. Besides, the Gryffindor team is horrible without it's seeker." She helped Harry off of the ground. Harry felt his heart speeding up…

"Oh please. Get a room." Hermione said. "We're here to catch bad guys, not to have a make out section." She smiled knowingly at Harry and pushed him toward the entrance. "Go on."

"Why -?"

"You're the hero Harry." Ginny said. Ginny put the smell charm on the three of them, and then Harry reopened the Chamber.

"It would be really pretty in here if it weren't for the giant snake corpse." Hermione said, sounding like she had a bad cold.

"Pretty?" Ginny said. "You think this is -"

"Both of you stop it." Harry said angrily. "We need to find this book before we all gag. Start searching." They spread out, Harry getting stuck with the area around the long dead Basilisk.

"Harry!" Ginny called. "I think I found it!"

"Don't touch it!" Harry said. He found where she was. A large black book was stuck inside one of the snake statue's mouth. "Accio Ravenclaw's book." It didn't work. "Of course."

"Why can't we just -?"

"The last time I touched a horcrux a bunch of dead people attacked me. And Dumbledore's hand turned black because of a horcrux. I'd rather not risk it." Harry looked at the book, wondering how he was going to get it out. "Ginny, go back to the bathroom."

"But Harry!"

"Go! Now! You too Hermione."

"But -"

"Go!" The two girls sauntered off. Once they had left, Harry reevaluated the situation. He took his wand and poked at the book. Nothing happened. He remembered that the last time he had tried to summon a horcrux, the waiting army of corpses had warned him not to. Nothing like that had happened this time. Or had it?

Harry looked around. Nothing seemed to have changed. The Basilisk looked as if it had moved a bit. Of course… Harry poked the book again, and the Basilisk twitched. He was glad that he had sent the girls away.

Harry quickly made a plan. He went back through the entrance and climbed up the rocks to make the opening a little bigger, so as to make it easier to get back through. He was going to grab the book and run for it. The rocks and the Chamber entrance should hold the Basilisk back… Harry couldn't believe it – Apparently Voldemort had found out about the Basilisk being dead (Malfoy… Harry thought, noting someone else that needed strangled) and had bewitched it, just in case.

Harry took several deep breaths and reached for the book. It has to be done… just do it and get it over with. He grabbed the book and yanked on it hard. The book came free, and Harry heard a giant water splash and a roar behind him. He turned and ran for his life.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry pulled himself through the rock pile and fell down the other side. He hadn't been fast enough to close the Chamber entrance. He hoped that the rocks would hold it back…

"Hermione!" Harry yelled up to the bathroom.

"Harry? Harry, what happened? Did it wake up?"

Harry began to scramble up to the bathroom. "Get me out of here!"

"Uncio Harry!" Harry felt himself being pulled violently upward. Seconds later, he flew up into the bathroom. Hermione closed the sinks, and Harry sank onto the floor, gasping for air.

"It's loose again. You need to go tell McGonagall." Hermione ran off. Ginny sat down next to Harry.

"Are you okay?"

"Hold this." Harry said, handing the book to her. "It's okay. It can't hurt you now. We need to stop the Basilisk."

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I think this is long enough. More next chapter. 

Oh, so you know: Uncio is a spell I made up. I didn't spell Accio wrong. ;)


	8. Basilisk Inferi

Notage: More clearing up…

Basilisk Inferi: JK said that the Basilisk would play an important role later on. What other thing could a giant dead snake have to do besides guard something?

Funny thing is, I completely forgot about that (the Basilisk) until I wrote that part. I figured that it would be neat to write about, and then later I remembered what JK had said.

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"Potter!" McGonagall shrieked, entering the bathroom. Harry was lying on the floor again. He had just come back from vomiting everything that he had eaten in the last few hours. "You've been in this school for fifteen minutes and already you're causing trouble! I should have known -"

"Back off, professor!" Ginny said, stepping between McGonagall and Harry. "You wouldn't understand what Harry has to do. He's trying to save the world again. And if that -"

"Ginny!" Harry said, pulling himself off the floor. "That's enough." He walked past Ginny to get closer to the headmistress. "I don't want you to stop it. I can do that. I want you to make sure that the students stay safe while I'm down there."

"You're talking about a Basilisk." The headmistress said. "It can -"

"I killed it years ago, and almost died. I know what it can do. That's why I'm going to kill it. Again." He turned to Hermione. "How do you get rid of Inferi?"

Hermione shook her head, obviously not knowing anything on Inferi.

"You have to undo whichever spell was put on them." McGonagall said. "But there are literally hundreds of spells. Some of them you can't undo. By the time you would find the right one -"

"Aren't there different spells for different species? I mean, he would have had to use a different spell on the Basilisk than on any normal Inferi, wouldn't he?" No one responded. "Thanks for helping." Harry said, annoyed at them all. "Open it Hermione."

"But Harry -"

"Open it!"

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Harry walked slowly up the side of the rockslide. Apparently the Basilisk hadn't broken through. But it had tried – the other side was more caved in than before. Harry looked for the Basilisk, but didn't see or smell it. It won't get to far, he thought. It wants to catch the person who took the book. And I'm right here.

Harry sat at the top of the rocks and waited for it to come back. While he waited, he thought of every spell that could undo another spell. There were hundreds of them –

Suddenly, he heard the water splashing in a nearby pipe. He climbed down the rocks. A giant shadow was coming… Harry picked up a rock and threw it. "Hey! Snake!"

The Basilisk's head poked around the corner. It's head turned, obviously trying to hear him better. "Over here!" Harry called, throwing another rock. The Basilisk reared its head up, ready to strike – Harry threw another rock and hit it on the nose.

The Basilisk hissed loudly and went for the noise, but Harry had already moved. He kept moving, making as much noise as possible. He turned and tried the first spell that popped into his head. "Deletrius!"

Nothing happened. Harry continued to run; making sure that the snake was following him. He tried another spell, but it didn't work either. The Basilisk lunged, just missing Harry's left leg. Harry stopped and looked at it for a second. He could see where the missing fang was – the one that had nearly killed him last time – but right next to the hole was another, longer fang. Harry wondered how long Basilisk venom lasted.

It lunged again, and Harry ran into a pipe. Think Harry, he told himself. You're good at these kinds of spells. Think of something!

Harry stopped, so out of breath that he couldn't go on. The Basilisk caught up quickly, blocking his way out. It got very close to him, and Harry felt like he was going to be sick again.

It stuck its tongue out, sniffing the air. Harry tried to avoid it, but the long, eroded tongue touched his side and poked at him for a second.

The tongue went back. Harry could have sworn that the Basilisk smiled. It pulled its head back, ready to strike again –

"Finite Incantatem!" Harry tried. It didn't seem to have worked. The Basilisk came forward, but then slumped over, nearly falling on Harry. He quickly climbed over it and headed for the bathroom, feeling like he could really use a bath.

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Ginny ran toward Harry, obviously overjoyed that he had made it back. Harry stopped her and looked to McGonagall.

"It's gone. I won't bother you or your school anymore." McGonagall mumbled something and left.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione said. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

She tried to hug him as well, but Harry pushed her away. He looked as if he were going to be sick again. "Ewww!" He said finally. "I never want to have to do anything that – unsanitary – ever again!"


	9. Useless Memory

Mmmmm! Me lovies you all :hugs:

Clearage: I have no idea how one would destroy a horcrux. I just took a guess. It probably isn't that easy though.

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Harry sat in his room at Grimmauld Place. Bill's pensive was sitting on the bedside table. Harry just stared at it. He wondered if the memories would really help at all…

Harry wondered how you put memories into bottles. He had seen it done before, of course. But how would you actually do it? He could think of more than a few memories he would have liked to store away.

His gaze moved across the room. Ravenclaw's book was sitting on the floor. He hadn't gotten rid of it yet – Harry marveled at how fast they had found it. It seemed almost too easy… He guessed that the last three wouldn't be as easy as the first two had. There wouldn't be an RAB to just leave a horcrux for them; Nagini was always with Voldemort - and they still had no clue as to what Gryffindor's horcrux would be –

"How's it going?" Ron asked, entering the room.

"It's not. It's stopped."

"I thought you wanted to look at the memories."

"Yeah, but – would it really help at all?"

"Sure. You might see something you missed before."

Harry sighed and got up to get the memories. "Okay, but I know this is going to turn out to be a waste of time."

"Mind if I go?" Harry stopped and looked at Ron over his shoulder.

"Do you really want to?"

"Yeah. I've, umm, never really seen a memory before. I mean from inside a pensive."

"Alright. If you want to." Harry picked out one of the bottles and poured it into the pensive. He leaned into it and fell. Ron landed next to him.

"Woah -" Ron said. Harry looked around, trying to remember which memory they were in. It was the one about Voldemort in the orphanage, when Dumbledore came to tell him about Hogwarts. "What is this?" Ron asked.

"Voldemort's childhood." Harry answered. When it got to the part where Dumbledore was telling Tom Riddle about being a wizard, Harry had a thought. He went to the cupboard and looked inside.

"What're you doing?" Ron asked.

"Just checking."

"Can't they hear us?"

"No. Since we're not in the original memory, we don't even exist. Well, we wouldn't have existed yet either way – it's kind of like watching a movie."

"A what?"

"Never mind." Harry went back to looking in the cupboard. If Dumbledore hadn't already told him what the horcruxes were, Harry would have suspected anything in that cupboard. "Come on." He said, pulling Ron. "There's nothing here."

"So, he was an orphan." Ron said as Harry put the memory back into its bottle. "Just like you."

"Scary, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Want to look at another one?" Ron asked, looking slightly excited.

"No. There's nothing there."

"That was only one of them. There could be something in the others."

"Sorry, Ron. I really don't feel like doing this right now."

"Okay. Well, whenever you feel like it, let me know." Ron left quietly, closing the door behind him.

Harry replaced the memory in his trunk and fell onto his bed. Everything seemed so pointless – they had absolutely no information on any of the other horcruxes, and those memories weren't going to help. He wished he were anywhere else – in some other time and place where he wouldn't be aimlessly chasing after parts of Voldemort.

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked, poking her head in the door.

"Yeah."

"Ron said you sounded angry."

"I'm not – just frustrated. This whole thing is pointless."

"No it isn't." She entered and sat next to him. "You're doing this to save everyone."

"What if I don't give a damn about everyone?"

"You do. No matter what you say, you do. And although none of us have admitted it yet, everyone expects you to save the day again. That's the life you're stuck with."

"I know, I know." Harry said, rubbing his eyes. "I know you two think I'm in too much of a hurry to find the horcruxes… but the sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can have a normal, Voldemort free life."

"Sorry Harry, but you'll never have a normal life. You'll always be the famous Harry Potter."

"I'll change my name and move to Sweden. Ginny will have to go with me. She could change her name to Olga…" Hermione laughed. "Is there something wrong with the name Olga?"

"No, it's just -" She stopped, and they both laughed. "I was picturing her face if you told her that. Olga is an unusual name…"

"You're one to talk." Harry said. "Not every couple names their baby Hermione. No, actually – I think you're the only one."

"Oh, shut up." She said, hitting him lightly on the head.

"What's going on in here?" Ron said, appearing at the door. He eyed Harry and Hermione suspiciously.

"Nothing." Hermione said. "Just trying to work some encouragement into the resident hero."

"Right…" Ron said, narrowing his eyes at both of them.

"Calm yourself." Harry said, standing up. "I was telling her how much you fancy her." Harry smiled and walked past Ron. Ron followed.

"You – what?"

"I was joking Ron. Why? Are you going to admit it?'

"No. Harry, you've got it wrong -"

"Mmhm." Harry said. "That would explain why you got so defensive when you saw us together." Ron looked as if he were going to say something, but it wouldn't come out. "Don't worry. I want your sister, not your crush." Harry left Ron alone and headed back upstairs.

"Why'd you say that?" Hermione asked him.

"It's payback. Remember when you kept pestering me about Ginny?"

"But – I mean – do you think – does he -"

Harry smiled evilly. "Find out for yourself."


	10. Gold on the Shelf

Les Notes: I'm kinda in a writing slump now – I dunno what to put in between the horcrux chapters. Usually I could put something like a quidditch match, but since Harry isn't in school –

Grr… I'm having a bad day. Some other site wants to merge with mine and it isn't working out at all. I'm about ready to call the whole thing off…

I know you all think I'm going to fast with this story, but I really have nothing to post in between. So here comes the next horcrux.

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"You're going to look at the memories again?" Ron asked Harry, sounding very excited.

"Yeah, I guess." It had been nearly a month since their last try, and Harry hadn't gotten any closer to another horcrux. "It couldn't hurt."

"Can I go?" Hermione asked.

"Sure, why not." Harry opened his trunk and pulled out the bottles. "You pick one, Ron."

"Me?" Harry nodded. "Okay." He pulled out one of the memories and handed it to Harry, who poured it into the pensive.

"Come on." Harry said as he lazily put his head into the memory, sure that it was going to be useless again. He landed and waited for Ron and Hermione.

"Wow." Hermione said "This is – wow."

"You shouldn't be so descriptive Hermione." Ron muttered. Hermione stepped on his foot. "Ow! Hey, you -"

"That's enough." Harry said crossly. He had just remembered which memory this was – the one where the snake was nailed to the door….

"What is that?" Hermione asked when she saw the snake.

"Come on." Harry said, sliding into the open door. He looked around for any signs of a horcrux (besides the locket and the ring), but Ron and Hermione were watching the conversation. "D'you mind helping?"

"Sorry." They said. Hermione walked over to where Voldemort's mother was.

"Is this his mum?" Harry nodded, searching a shelf. "Wait – that's the locket! Oh… So that's where it came from!"

"Nothing escapes you." Harry mumbled.

"Sorry Mr. Negative. I was only trying to help."

"If you want to help," Ron said "then talk less and look more." The talk erupted into an argument, with Ron and Hermione shouting over Voldemort's father.

"Shut up!" Harry screamed. "Both of you shut up! If you're going to argue then you can go back!" They stopped arguing and went back to searching, but they didn't find anything. "I knew it." Harry said when they were out of the memory.

"I think there might have been something there." Hermione said.

"There wasn't."

"No, not then. I mean now."

"She's being vague again." Ron mumbled to Harry.

"What I mean," Hermione said, glaring at Ron "Is that maybe Vol – Voldemort – has something hidden there now. He wasn't even born yet in the memory. But an old house behind all those trees that hasn't been inhabited for years might make a good hiding place."

"That's true." Harry said absently.

"Well then, let's go." Ron said. "What's the harm in taking a look?"

"It'll be booby trapped." Harry said, half hoping to talk them out of it.

Ron put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Whenever you're involved, Harry, something's always booby trapped." Very true, Harry thought. "We've made it through before and we'll make it through again."

---------------------------------------------------------

Harry popped near the old house. It looked the same from the outside, except the snake had long since fallen off the door. Hermione popped next to him.

"Where's Ron?"

"He's coming." Just as she said this, another pop was heard, and Ron appeared so close to Harry that he fell over.

"Sorry mate." Ron said, helping him up.

Harry went up to the door. "Stay back." He told them. "If something happens -"

"Save yourselves." Ron said. "We know. Go on." Harry smiled and poked the door with his wand. Nothing happened. He touched the door handle. Nothing again. Harry grabbed the door handle and threw open the door.

There was so much dust everywhere that it was hard to tell the color of anything – everything was gray. Harry walked in cautiously, and Ron and Hermione followed. Hermione sneezed loudly, scaring Harry half to death.

"Sorry. I'm allergic to dust."

"Then hold your nose." Ron said, pushing past her.

"Don't touch anything." Harry warned them. They spread out and searched the room. Hermione went for the two doors on the back wall.

After several minutes of searching, Harry gave up. "There's nothing here…"

"Harry?" Ron said.

"What is it?" Harry snapped, rather annoyed at the whole situation.

"I found something." Harry turned to look at where he was. Ron was over by the old fireplace, looking at the shelf above it.

"I already looked there, Ron. There's nothing there."

"Yes there is."

"Ron -"

"It would seem odd that an old dusty house that used to have poor people in it would have a large gold cup, wouldn't it?"

"It might just be some old family heirloom." Hermione said, coming out of the back rooms and sneezing again.

"I've lived in an old dusty house with poor people my entire life." Ron said, looking at them over his shoulder. "I know what's supposed to be there and what's not."

Harry sauntered over toward Ron and looked on the shelf. All the way in the back was a dull gold something. He squinted at it in an effort to see what it was…

"Both of you, get out." Harry said, still staring at the gold.

"But -"

"Out! Wait outside."

"Okay." Hermione said, pulling Ron outside. "But we won't be too far away."


	11. Crushed Bones and River Trolls

Note-like-things: Don't want to keep you waiting. After this chapter the story's gonna go really fast, casue I know exactly where I'm going after Christmas. I still don't know how he's going to get Nagini though…

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Once they had left, Harry examined the shelf again. There was something there, but the shelf was so dark. "Lumos." Harry muttered. The shelf lit up, and in the back was a large gold cup with a badger on it.

Harry smiled. I knew Ron was good for something…

He wondered what kind of trap there would be this time. Maybe the floor would fall out – or maybe it would hex him – or maybe the house would explode – whatever it is, he told himself, you have to do it. Every horcrux is one step closer to Voldemort and freedom and Ginny…

Harry took a deep breath and reached for the cup. Pain shot through his arm, and he let the cup go. It's hexed… well that's not too bad. At least no giant snakes or dead people are attacking me. He grabbed the handle and pulled the cup violently, sending it flying onto the floor.

His hand burned horribly, but he didn't care. Harry took off his robe to scoop up the cup with, when he heard a rumbling in the distance. The house started to shake. ((Think of a Jurassic Park type thing)) Now what? Whatever was coming was obviously sent to kill whatever had touched the horcrux.

Harry scooped up the cup and ran for the door. Ron and Hermione weren't far off. He was about to tell them to run, when he saw the look on Hermione's face – she was very pale and had her mouth open slightly, as if she were going to scream but her voice wouldn't work.

Harry heard a loud bang above him, and he spun around. A twenty-foot high river troll had lifted the roof off of the house.

"Run!" Harry screamed to Ron and Hermione, who immediately turned and took off. Harry sprinted as fast as he could, trying very hard not to drop the cup. Suddenly he felt as if a bus had hit him – something very large had collided with his right shoulder, sending him flying up against a tree.

Someone was screaming. Harry couldn't tell who it was. Everything was spinning, and a sharp pain ran through the whole right side of his body.

When his vision became clearer, Harry could just make out Ron and Hermione, trying to keep the troll from squishing Harry. Spells were flying everywhere. Aurors were starting to appear.

Harry saw an auror pushing Ron backward, telling him to run. Ron tripped, falling onto his side. Harry watched in horror as the troll moved sideways and stepped onto Ron.

Harry wanted to scream, but his lungs wouldn't work correctly. There was a sickening bone crunching sound. Someone was screaming again. Harry spotter Hermione running to Ron's side. Then she got up and came to him.

"Harry? Harry? Can you hear me?"

"Get Ron. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You -"

"It's only my shoulder. I'll live. A troll just stepped on Ron. Help him!" Hermione obeyed. Harry pulled himself up, using the tree to balance himself. In a few seconds his head stopped swirling, and he found his cracked glasses on the ground.

By now the aurors had control of the troll. More were appearing to deal with the muggles in the nearby city. Harry stumbled over to where Ron was.

Healers and nurses from St. Mungo's had arrived and were helping the injured aurors. Two of them came and took Ron to a van before Harry had gotten close enough to see how much he had been hurt.

Hermione came up to him and put her arm around him. "Come on. The healers are over here." Harry pushed her off and headed for the van that Ron was in. Just before he got there, Mr. Weasley popped in. Oh no…

"Harry, you -" Mr. Weasley started, but then he spotted Ron in the van. "What? What happened?"

"Mr. Weasley, I -"

"Out of the way." Mr. Weasley said, pushing Harry away from the van so hard that Harry fell over. Pain shot through his right side. When he looked up again the van was gone.

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"We need to go see Ron." Harry said. He and Hermione had apparated back to Grimmauld Place. The healers had checked his arm, given him a sling and a purple potion, and had sent him on his way. But Harry didn't care about his arm. Ron was hurt, and it was all his fault…

"You need to rest for a bit." Hermione said. "Ron will be okay."

"No, you don't understand -"

"Harry you won't accomplish anything by pushing yourself to the point where you die from exhaustion. You need to rest. Ron will be okay." She pulled him over to a couch and made him sit down. "Would you like a sandwich?"

"No. I'd like to go see Ron." Hermione didn't listen. She went into the kitchen and came back with two sandwiches.

"Here. Now eat before I curse you." Harry ate it, not wanting to provoke someone that he knew could kill him if she wanted to.

"Now can we go?" Harry asked after he had finished the sandwich.

She sighed. "Fine. You should go clean yourself up, though. You look like to just took a mud bath."


	12. Two Golden Rings

Noties: Ya'll need to calm down. I can only write so fast…. Just kidding. You know I love you…

Ron isn't dead… yet…

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Harry and Hermione popped into St. Mungo's. Hermione found out which room Ron was in, and they went up a few floors.

Once outside the room, they saw a sign that said only two visitors at a time. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in there at the time, so Harry and Hermione waited outside.

"I'm going to go see if any of the other family is in that waiting room." Hermione said, pointing down the hall. "I'll be right back." And she left Harry alone, with the exception of the nurse that was just down the hallway.

"…All I'm saying is that ever since he met Harry all he's done is get into trouble and get hurt." Harry heard from inside the room.

"That's not Ron's fault."

"No, but it is Harry's fault."

"Molly, you can't -"

"Can't what? Can't blame him either? Then who am I supposed to blame for this!" Harry could picture her gesturing aggressively toward Ron. "Who am I supposed to point at for this?"

"We both know this isn't -"

"He might never walk again!" Mrs. Weasley screamed. "He might not be able to take care of himself for the rest of his life! And I'm just supposed to let it go!"

"No – you're supposed to let him live his own life. If he wants to go back out with Harry then there's no way you're going to stop him."

"He is NOT going back out there! He's coming home with me! I won't hurt him or get him into trouble!"

Harry stopped listening. She was right. Harry had known that all along – he'd been telling Ron to go home for months, but he wouldn't leave. Ron had sealed his own fate long ago. Harry felt the need to go in there and start flipping out, but instead he turned and walked for the exit.

"Harry?" Hermione called. She ran to catch up with him. "Wait – what're you doing? I thought you wanted to see Ron?"

"I did, but not anymore." He walked faster to try to make her stop following him.

"Wait! What do you mean? What happened?"

"I don't want to see Ron ever again – or at least until I get done with Voldemort. He's not going to get hurt again."

"Harry, we already told you -"

"No! I won't have anyone else getting hurt because of me! Including you."

"But – Harry, I -"

"Go home Hermione." He sped up and entered the elevator (or the lift, for you non USA folks).

"What?"

"Go home." Harry said as the doors closed. He walked out of the hospital and apparated away quickly, so that Hermione wouldn't follow him.

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A few weeks later, Harry was sitting along at Grimmauld Place. He guessed that Hermione had gone home, because he hadn't seen her since the incident in the hospital. He wished that she was there, however – he had never realized how big and lonely the house was when it wasn't full of people.

It was snowing outside. Only a few hours until Christmas – Harry wondered if Ron would be spending his Christmas in a hospital bed…

Then a thought came to him – Christmas break. Ginny would be at home. But Harry seriously doubted that Mrs. Weasley would let him in. If he had infected their son, how long until it spread to their daughter…

Harry was extremely hungry, but there was nothing edible in the entire house. He wished that he were at the burrow - Mrs. Weasley probably had a huge dinner ready.

Just then, Harry heard a pop outside, and a knock at the door. Remus Lupin was outside. Harry let him in.

"All alone?" Lupin asked.

"Yeah."

"I wish I could stay, but the Weasley's invited me over for dinner." Lupin paused, noting the look on Harry's face. "Guess they didn't invite you..."

"Why would they? I'm the reason their son's almost dead."

"I heard. Did you still get the horcrux?"

"Yeah. It's upstairs. I got rid of it a few hours ago."

"That's good. I have something for you." Lupin reached into his pocket and pulled out two small boxes. "I found them a while ago, with Sirius's things. Thought you might want them."

Harry opened the first box. Inside was a small woman's ring, gold with three diamonds. In the second box was aman's ring, also gold but without any kind of decoration. Harry was slightly confused... "Look on the inside of the ring." Harry turned the woman's ring to read it, but the inscription was too small to read. So he went to the man's - along the inside was inscripted 'James and Lily Potter 1978'.

Harry's jaw dropped. His parent's wedding rings..."You said Sirius had these? Where'd he get them?"

"I have no clue. But, you know, he was there the night they died - that's where Hagrid got the motorcycle from - I'd guess he took them because he didn't want anyone stealing them. He took a few other things too. They're all over this house, if you take the time to look for them."

Harry nodded. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. I thought you might have more of a use for them than me."

Harry nodded again, suddenly thinking of exactly who he'd like to give the ring to. "When are you going to the burrow?"

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End noties: I want to make the next part a seperate chapter. I think it'd be more effective that way.  
There won't be another chapter for a few days. I'm going to New Jersey on a family excursion.

Side note: I really have no idea when James and Lily were married. I'm just guessing, since Harry was born in 1980.


	13. Promises

Notes: I just got back a few hours ago – I'm kinda not awake at all…. But I know ya'll won't wait any longer (It's been 4 days! Get a move on!) So here it is.

Some clearing up: Someone said Mrs. Weasley wouldn't act that way. Everyone says crazy things when they get hysterical. It'll be cleared up in this chapter.

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Harry popped near the Burrow with Lupin. Lupin went in immediately (after a few questions from Mr. Weasley), but Harry waited outside for a bit. Suddenly he was having second thoughts about it. They don't want me here… I should just go back… Leave them alone…

Harry could smell the food from outside, and he remembered that there was nothing to eat at Grimmauld Place… He took a deep breath and walked to the door. "Who's there?" Someone asked from inside.

"Harry."

"Harry who?"

Harry sighed. How many other Harry's do they know? "Harry Potter."

"How do I know it's you?"

"Well I guess you'll have to ask me something."

"Yeah. Umm…"

"What's the problem?" said another voice.

"I dunno what to ask him."

"Just ask him anything."

"Like what?"

"Move out of the way you idiots!" said a familiar female voice. Harry's heart started going faster… "April 17 – what day is that?"

Harry answered without any hesitation. "Our anniversary."

"Let him in." The door swung open, and behind it were Fred, George, and Ginny.

"Sorry about that Harry." George said.

"Yeah. We would have let you in, but you know…"

Harry wasn't listening to them. He was staring at Ginny. She was in pink pajamas and her hair was very messy, but Harry didn't care. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms… kiss her slowly… run away with her forever and forget about Voldemort and horcruxes…

"I see I can't trust anyone to guard the door." Said Mrs. Weasley, entering the room with her arms crossed.

"We asked him a question." Fred said.

"Well, Ginny did." George corrected. Mrs. Weasley stared at Harry like she could make him disappear with her eyes.

"Mum this is ridiculous!" Ginny said, turning to her mother. "Let him stay! Otherwise he'd be alone at Grimmauld Place. We can't leave him like that on Christmas eve!"

Mrs. Weasley looked over Ginny and eyed Harry. "I suppose he could stay for dinner. But after that -"

"Mum!" Ginny started.

"No." Harry said, stepping up next to Ginny. "I don't want to stay. I only wanted to give Ginny a Christmas present. Then I can leave."

"No!" Ginny said, grabbing his arm and forcing him to sit at the table, which was lined with food. "You're staying. Now eat."

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After dinner, Harry tried to make an exit again, but Ginny steered him upstairs. They went into her room. "Sit." She pushed him onto the bed. "You're staying right here."

"Ginny, I -"

"No! I won't have you going back there all by yourself."

"Really, I don't mind."

"Well I do." Suddenly the bedroom door flew open. Mr. Weasley came in.

"No, there will be none of this. Sorry, but I can't allow -"

"I was just leaving." Harry said. He left the room and the house, walking farther away to apparate. He didn't know why he was walking so far from the house when he could apparate right next to it, but he wanted to walk for a while.

"Harry!" He heard from behind him. "Harry wait!" Ginny ran up next to him. "If you won't stay then I'm going with you."

Harry looked down. She was barefoot in at least a foot of snow. "Get back inside before you get sick."

"No. Not unless you're coming with me."

Harry sighed. Maybe she could stay… just for the night… "Is it alright with them?" He asked, nodding toward the house. "I don't want to be charged for kidnapping or anything."

"They know where I'm going. And I'll be back tomorrow morning anyway." She grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

"Can't you apparate yet?"

"Not exactly. Last time I tried I lost my right foot. Wouldn't want to do that when we're apparating so far away." Harry smiled and squeezed her hand. The two of them popped away.

---------------------------------------------

Once back at Grimmauld Place, Harry started a fire and the two of them sat on a nearby couch. They didn't talk at all, until Ginny slid over closer to him.

"So… you said you had a present for me?" She said with a large grin.

Harry smiled back. He had almost forgotten why he wanted to see her in the first place. He reached into his robe pocket and pulled out the boxes. He handed the one with the woman's ring to her.

Ginny grabbed the box quickly and tore it open. She gasped when she saw the ring. "Harry! It's so pretty! I – wait. What's this for?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Well, it is a wedding ring, but for right now it's a promise ring."

"Oh, I see… and what's the promise?"

"There are three of them."

"Go on…"

"The first is that you stop trying to help me with the horcruxes and all that."

"If I must…"

"The second – if anything were to happen to me, you have to move on. I mean, you need to find someone else."

"But -"

"I know. But I would hate to see you alone. If it can't be me – well, I'm sure there's someone else out there."

"There isn't." she said, kissing him.

"You need to find someone else if something happens to me. You can keep that." He said, motioning to the ring. "And this one." He took the man's ring out of its box. "And anything else I might have ever owned. I'm leaving everything to you."

Ginny nodded. "And the last one?"

"If I do make it out of this, would you – I mean -"

Ginny jumped into the air, flung her arms around his neck, and kissed him slowly. "That's the easiest of the three."

"So you promise?"

"Sure." She handed the ring to him. "You have to put it on me." Harry did it. "And now I have to put yours on you." She took the man's ring from Harry and noticed the inscription in it. "Wait – this is… oh my gosh. Then this one must be… wow. Where'd you find these?"

"Lupin gave them to me. He found them in Sirius's things."

"Good enough for me." She put the man's ring on Harry's finger. "Now it's official. But, if something does happen to you, you can keep the ring. And I'll keep mine. That way we'll always be together." She leaned up and kissed him again.

They sat down on the couch again, curled up close to each other, the ringed hands locked. Eventually Ginny fell asleep, but Harry stayed awake for as long as he could, knowing all too well that this might be the last night he would spend with Ginny.

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End notes: I really don't know the exact date when Harry and Ginny got together. I just took a guess.


	14. Return to the Beginning

Notes: Figured I should give you more, before you turn into an angry mob…

A few more things I need to get out of the way, then back to more horcruxes. A nice long chapter for ya'll.

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Harry left Grimmauld Place early the next morning. Ginny was still asleep on the couch. He hoped that she'd be gone long before he came back. He made sure that the fireplace was floo-able before leaving, so that she could get home without loosing any feet.

Around ten in the morning, he popped onto a street that he hadn't been near in more than seventeen years. He had no idea where exactly he was, but he knew that it was the right place. The street sign said Godric's Hollow.

He walked slowly down the street. It reminded him of Privet Drive – except a lot more inviting and fun. All of the houses were the same, but there was more room in between each one than there was on Privet Drive. A group of children were playing in a backyard. Two little girls were sitting on the grass, when three little boys came running outside and sprayed them with squirt guns. The girls shrieked and ran past Harry, not even noticing that he was there. The boys paused for a second when he walked past, but then chased after the girls, apparently not thinking that Harry was any threat to them.

About half way down the road, Harry stopped. Across the street was a smaller house with a for sale sign on the lawn. This is it, he thought. I can feel it…

He crossed the street and looked at the sign. He wondered why it was for sale. Maybe no one ever bought it…

"Can I help you sir?" He heard from behind him. A woman was in the driveway, coming out of a van that had the name of the same realtor on the side. "Are you here for the open house?"

"How long has this house been for sale?" Harry asked.

"Oh, years, from what I've heard. I've only been on the sale for the last few months. A couple was murdered in there. I think it was about -"

"Twenty years ago." Harry said, nodding. "Yes. Almost twenty." Harry felt very old for a second.

"Yes, very sad. I heard they left behind a son. Poor thing… I wonder what ever happened to him."

"You're looking at him." Harry mumbled.

"Really? Oh, my, sir – I had no idea you were -"

"Would you mind if I take a look inside?" Harry interrupted.

"Oh, of course you can. Here, I'll let you in." She pulled out a key chain with lots of keys on it. Harry almost told here to forget the keys – he could unlock it on his own – but then he thought that she had to be a muggle. Best let her do it. It might look a little odd if the door opens on its own.

The woman opened the door for him, and Harry stepped inside. Yes, this was the right house. He could feel it. He had seen it in a few of his dreams before.

"Sir?" the woman said, "If I may ask, are you interested in buying the house?"

"No," Harry said, "I have a house. I was just passing by and thought I'd stop."

"Of course. You can look around all you like." Harry was already doing just that. He walked around the living room a few times and wondered how the muggles ever found out about the murders. Isn't the Ministry supposed to take care of it before the muggles get there? He thought. But it didn't really matter now. The woman only knew because she was selling the house – the neighbors probably had no idea – unless, of course, they were wizards.

After a few minutes of pacing, he found it. One spot on the floor had a great impression on Harry. This is where it happened, he thought. This is where my father died… He paused for a second, and then moved on.

There were two doors on the back wall. One door was opened, showing the bathroom, but the other was closed. Harry went to it and opened the door. All that was in there was a bed, but Harry saw something else. A scream that he had heard many times before, and then a woman collapsed on the floor… Harry turned quickly and slammed the door shut.

"Sir? Is everything alright?" Calm down, he told himself. There was only a bed in there. You're seeing things… "Sir?"

"Yes, yes everything's fine." Harry said, stepping away from the door.

"If you don't mind telling me, how did they die?" the woman asked, stepping closer to him. "I mean, how were they murdered? Was it a gun?"

"Something like that." Harry said, nodding.

"Did they ever catch the murderer?"

"No."

"What? It's been nearly twenty years. Surely they've found something."

"They know who did it." Harry said. "But he's impossible to catch. Everyone who has tried hasn't made it out alive. Or at least not sane."

"Well, I'm sure they'll catch him eventually. They always do."

"No, they won't. But I will." Harry stepped past her and headed for the door.

"Is that wise?" the woman asked, following him. "Going after a murderer yourself?"

Harry sighed. Apparently she wasn't a witch. "I'm the only one that can catch him. I know you don't understand it, but it's what has to be done." He stepped out the door to leave.

"Good luck with your hunt." The woman said.

"Thanks." Harry left the house and turned to go back down the street. He could see a cemetery just down the road, and he hoped that it was the right one.

--------------------------------------------------------

It was snowing - a very wet and sticky snow. Harry sat on the ground with his eyes closed, in between two graves. On his left the headstone said Lily, and on the right it said James. Both loving spouses, parents, and friends. Taken away from life too early. Yes, Harry thought. Far too early.

The snow turned into a small blizzard. Harry could feel it soaking through his clothes, but he ignored the cold and the wet. He was going to sit there as long as possible.

The graves were very plain. A bunch of old, dead flowers were planted nearby. No one had been there for a while. Harry stood up and cleared the snow away, after checking to make sure no one could see him magically poof it to the hillside nearby. Then he revived the flowers, remembering an old spell from herbology that he thought would never be useful. He conjured more flowers until the gravesite looked like a spring flower garden. These flowers would never die, as they were magically enhanced. They would stay the same forever – or at least until Harry died.

He saw an open space beside his father's grave. That's my spot, he thought. Right there, next to them. He was afraid to think that he might be there sooner than he thought. He looked at the graves once more, and then turned to leave, making a mental note to tell someone where he wanted to be buried.

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Two days after Christmas, Harry sat alone at Grimmauld Place, trying to keep the fire going. It was freezing cold outside, and a fire that refused to stay lit wasn't helping. It had snowed for three days straight, making it very hard to leave the house without magically forcing the door open. Eventually Harry gave up on the fire and went upstairs.

I should look at those memories, he thought. I'm not going anywhere in this storm anyway. But when he went to get them out, he changed his mind. Leaning against the back of the trunk was his Firebolt. It was dirty and the bristles were frayed everywhere. He pulled it out and grabbed his broom polishing kit. Even if he might never use it again, it was too good of a broom to be in that condition.

As he polished the handle, he heard someone coming up the stairs. Harry dropped the broom and pulled out his wand, ready for whatever would come through the door. Whoever it was was limping badly. Maybe it's Moody… but Moody doesn't have bright red hair…

"Are you going to kill me?" Ron asked, stepping into the doorway. "I see the welcome I get. Thought you might have missed me, but instead you want to attack me."

Harry sighed and sank back onto the bed. "I didn't know who was there. For all I know you could have been a death eater."

"Yeah – me? A death eater?"

"Well – I -" Ron walked slowly into the room. "I thought you weren't ever going to walk again."

"Amazing the things potions can fix. Re-growing your entire left leg is quite painful though." He sat next to Harry on the bed. "Did you come to the hospital? I didn't see you."

"Well, I – umm -"

"Mum got to you first, right? She exaggerates a lot. I was never really that hurt."

"A troll stepped on you; you had to re-grow your left leg; and you weren't really that hurt?"

"Okay, maybe I was. But potions can fix anything. Now, if we were muggles, then they might have had to amputate." He spotted Harry's Firebolt on the bed. "Playing quidditch in the snow?"

"No. It was all dirty, and I was bored."

"You must miss quidditch. I mean, I miss it, and I'm no where near as into it as you are."

"What is it with boys and quidditch?" Harry heard. Hermione was standing right where Ron had just been.

"I though I told you to go home." Harry said.

"I did. And now I'm back." She walked across the room and joined them on the bed. "Mum and dad weren't too happy with me leaving school. All I heard the last few weeks is how much time I'm wasting and how my future is ruined. They don't understand what I'm doing – what we're doing."

"Who's we?" Harry asked. "I don't remember being part of a we."

"You know that you can't get rid of us that easily." Ron said. "Besides, if we go home, then we both have to deal with psychotic parents."

"How'd your mum take it when you left?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You know how she is. 'You're not going back out there. You're going to Hogwarts.'" He imitated in a high-pitched voice. "Good thing we learned how to apparate before we left."

"So you just poofed away?" Hermione asked. "Don't you think she's worried about you?"

"I told her that she can't control me anymore. I don't belong in Hogwarts without you two. Or at least without Harry. I could last without the other one." Hermione reached across Harry and slapped Ron. "Ow! - I was only kidding. Without you we'd both be confused."

"You're always confused Ron." Hermione said, glaring at him.

"My point exactly."

"Enough, both of you." Harry said. "Well, if nothing else I can keep you around for entertainment."

"That's the spirit." Ron said. "So where to next?"

"No where. We can't get very far in this storm."

"What about the memories?" Hermione suggested.

"That's what I was going to do before you two showed up." Harry said, getting up to set up the pensive.

"Ron, get one of the memories." Hermione commanded.

"Yes oh fearless leader." Ron mumbled, getting up as well. Hermione shoved him back onto the bed and got the memory herself.

"Will you two quit fancying each other so much and give me the memory?" Harry said.

"What!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Quit denying it Hermy." Ron said, reaching into the trunk for one of the memories. "We all know that you want me."

"Not even in your dreams, Ronald Weasley." Hermione said, snatching the bottle from him and pouring it into the pensive.


	15. Gryffindor's Horcrux

Notage: Two chapters in one night… back to horcruxes.

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Harry fell onto a cold, hard ground. Which memory is this? He thought. I don't remember this… maybe we entered at a different time. Hermione and Ron plunked down next to him.

"Ow…" Ron said. "Not a very comfy place, is it?"

"Where are we, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I have no clue. This must be the extra one you two got."

"Either that or she was so flustered that she poured two memories in at once." Ron mumbled. Hermione glared at him. "Well, you did have two in your hands…"

Harry stood up, wondering what would happen if you poured two in at once. He knew that this was only one memory (he had watched her pour it), but still… Harry spotted a light up ahead and started walking toward it.

It didn't take him long to realize where they were. "The Chamber of Secrets…" Ron said from behind him. "Whose memory is this?"

Harry walked toward the light. Sure enough, down near one of the snake statues was Voldemort himself. "This isn't his memory, is it?" Hermione asked.

"Probably not." Harry said absently. He watched Voldemort put a large book into the statue and mumble a few words. Well that clears that up…

"So he did put it in here himself." Ron said. "But why was he here?"

"The job application." Harry said. "D'you think he's gone already?"

"Maybe he had to wait for Dumbledore to talk with him."

"Dumbledore wasn't the headmaster then, you idiot." Hermione said.

"Well sorry miss intelligence."

"You are such a -"

"Shut it!" Harry said, spinning around. "Can't you two stop arguing for three minutes?" He could hear Voldemort leaving. "Come on, before we lose him." They followed Voldemort up to the entrance to the chamber, and then the memory became foggy.

"What's happening?" Hermione asked.

"An unclear part of the memory." Harry said. "It'll be back to normal in a second."

When the memory cleared, they were outside of Hogwarts. It was a very dark night. Ron shifted his weight often, apparently getting impatient. "Will you hold still?" Hermione scolded.

"You try to stand for long periods of time with two bad legs."

"You can go back."

"Quiet!" Harry said. The doors to the main entrance had opened up, and someone was coming out. Voldemort… Harry watched him walk across the lawn of Hogwarts. Then the memory ended, and the three of them were thrown back out.

"That was useless." Harry said. "It only confirmed what we already knew."

"Didn't you see what he was carrying?" Hermione asked.

"He was carrying something?"

"Yeah. He pulled it out just as we left. I guess he had it in his cloak."

"Well, what was it?" Ron asked, reclining on Harry's bed.

"I couldn't tell. Something big though."

"That narrows it down." Ron said.

"Oh, you little -"

"Don't start again." Harry said, replacing the memory in its bottle. "You think he stole something from Hogwarts?"

"Sure. Why not? But what would he steal?"

"Well, we know it wasn't any of the other horcruxes." Ron said. "Cause they're not that big."

"It was shaped like…" Hermione said, thinking out loud. "A weird diamond. It had to be at least as wide as him and half as tall."

Harry pulled some parchment from his trunk and handed it to Hermione. "Draw it." She took the parchment from him and scratched a very oddly shaped upside down triangle. Harry held it up in front of him, and then turned it sideways. It didn't look like anything significant…

Hermione took it back. "Maybe I was seeing things…"

"Let me see it." Ron said, reaching for the parchment. She handed it to him. He squinted at it and turned his head sideways. "Hmm…"

"It was dark." Hermione said quickly. "It might just have been his cloak." She tried to grab the parchment back from Ron.

"No, wait." He pulled it away. "You know what? This kind of looks like… like…"

"A backward triangle?" Harry said sarcastically.

"No… it's like… a shield."

"A shield?" Hermione asked. "Honestly Ron. Sometimes I think you have no brains at all."

"Seriously! It looks like a shield."

"What would he want with a shield?"

"How should I know?"

"And you say I'm not very helpful."

"I never said that!"

Harry ignored them. He was trying to think. What would Voldemort want with a shield? Not like he needed protection. No one could beat him. Maybe it wasn't for normal protection… maybe it was for protection against dying…

" – But I didn't mean it."

"Then you shouldn't say it."

"Honestly, Hermione! Can't you take a joke?"

Who would have a shield? Harry thought. Why would anyone need one? The only time he had ever thought about non-magical shields was for knights. Slaying dragons and saving the princess, that kind of thing. But if you had a shield, you'd need a – Harry stood up quickly.

"Ron, you need to learn when to be serious."

"I am being serious!"

"A shield? Come on -"

"He's right." Harry mumbled.

"What?" Hermione said, shocked that she might be wrong.

"I am?" said Ron, surprised.

"Yes." Said Harry, sill stunned at his discovery.

"How do you figure that?" Hermione said with her hands on her hips.

"If you have a shield, what else would you need?"

"A sword!" Hermione said, understanding immediately. It took Ron a couple of seconds to figure it out. "Well what do you know? Every once in a while something intelligent comes out of his mouth."

"Thank you." Ron said.

"Gryffindor's shield." Hermione said excitedly. "Yes, it fits perfectly!"

"This is the last one, isn't it?" Ron asked, also very excited.

"No. There's still the snake, but that'll be easy." Harry said, just as excited as they were. It was the next to last one, which meant he was almost through with Voldemort, which meant that he was one step closer to a normal life and Ginny…

"D'you really think it'll be easy?" Hermione asked. "Getting the snake? She's around Voldemort all the time, isn't she?"

"I'll take care of her when I go to take care of Voldemort." Harry said absently, still thinking about the shield.

"I wouldn't be so sure Harry."

"Why? It's just a snake."

"So is a hexed basilisk just a snake?"

"There's a big difference between a basilisk and that snake."

"For one, Nagini won't kill you when you look at her." Ron said. "Duh!"

"Ronald!"

"Enough of the arguing." Harry said. "We need to think. Where would he hide the shield, if it were a horcrux?"

"We can rule out the Chamber." Hermione said.

"And that little hut of a house we found the cup in." Ron added.

"And the cave." Harry said.

"Cave?"

"Never mind." Harry said, thinking too fast to talk. Suddenly he had another thought. Then he shook his head.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"It's a stupid idea."

"Nothing is stupid." Ron said. "Just tell us."

"The Riddle house." Harry said. "Where his father lived. Where he murdered his father and his grandparents."

"Why would you think that?" Hermione said. "Apparently he doesn't like the place at all…"

"It's old and unused. He uses it as a hideout."

"Really? How do you know?" Ron asked.

"I -" Harry paused. "I – ummm – saw it in a dream." He immediately felt stupid for saying it.

"Good enough for me." Ron said.

"You saw it in a dream?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, a few years ago. I think it was the first time I read his mind, actually."

"You saw him hiding out in the Riddle house?"

"Yeah, with our old buddy Wormtail." Ron flinched as if he had said Voldemort.

"Do you think it's wise to go there, then?" Hermione asked "If he uses it as a hideout… you might have to deal with more than you bargained for."

"If you can think of anywhere else, feel free too suggest it." Harry said, a bit annoyed. Hermione was silent. "Well go there as soon as this storm blows over."

"Yes. Finally some action." Ron said.

"You're not going." Harry said.

"What! Why?"

"You can barely walk." Hermione said. "Duh!"

"So?"

Hermione sighed and turned to Harry. "No, he doesn't have a brain." she decided. "They switched it with packing peanuts when he was in the hospital."

"We could do without the insults, thank you." Ron said heatedly.

"For the last time," Harry said, "stop fancying each other so much."

"Harry, don't start that again…" Hermione said.

"Like I said, it's payback."

"Payback for what?" Ron asked.

"All last year she pestered me about Ginny. Now it's my turn."

"You both need to get over yourselves." Hermione said, crossing her arms.

"You're one to talk." Ron muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing queen of perfect-ville."

"Ronald -"

Harry stood up to leave the room. "Just kiss him already and get it over with."

"Harry!"

"Look, I'll leave. No one will ever have to know." He went into the hall and walked very slowly toward the stairs.

"Harry Potter!" Hermione shrieked.

"Come on Hermy." Ron said. "Give me a smooch."

Hermione stormed out of the room, past Harry, and downstairs. Harry went back into the room with Ron. "She's crazy about me." Ron said, leaning back.


	16. Dragon's Return

Los Noteanos: Can you tell I don't speak Spanish?

For anyone who is reading my other story, The Fairy Princess, sorry for not updating in a while. I want to finish this one first.

To whomever the word 'duh' may have disturbed: They were mocking each other, so something stupid is bound to come out.

On the Gryffindor horcrux: I had no idea what it could be. Educated guess...

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Harry leaned back onto his bed. Four days later, and it was still snowing. People all across Western Europe were getting snowed in. Businesses were closed, school canceled – in fact, Hogwarts itself was making the students stay at home for a few extra days, so that they could clear the tracks for the train to get through.

The three of them were still stuck in Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley insisted on them coming to dinner every night (Harry guessed the change of heart was only because of Ron), but Harry rarely ever went. He wasn't going to involve any of the family in his problems anymore. If Ron still wanted to come, then there was no way Harry could stop him – but he could save the rest of the family.

This was one of those nights when he didn't go along. He lied in the bed, looking at his picture of Ginny. Ron and Hermione didn't usually stay for a long time after dinner, though. They would be back any second… Right on cue, Harry heard someone clunking up the stairs. Ron came quickly into the room. Harry hid the picture in his hand.

"Guess what?" Ron said, joining him on the bed.

"What?"

"I'm going to be an uncle."

"Really?"

"Yep. Fleur is pregnant."

Harry snorted. "Well that didn't take too long."

"Ginny's really excited about it." Ron mumbled, trying to change the subject. "You should have come along tonight. She asked about you."

"Really?" Harry asked, squeezing the picture a bit and starting to get excited. Ron nodded. "What'd she say?"

"Just wanted to know how you were. If you were taking care of yourself and all that."

"Oh, I see. What'd you tell her?"

"That you were still alive, and too busy to come to dinner."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. So I uhh -heard that you two were alone for a night?"

"Christmas Eve, yeah." Ron raised an eyebrow." Nothing happened."

"Right..." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Ron..."

"Whatever you say Harry." He spotted the picture of Ginny in Harry's hand. "You must miss her."

"More than anything else in this world."

"Then why didn't you come to dinner? Why don't you let her help?"

"I'm not getting her involved in this. Going to see her every day would just make it harder to leave her again. If anything happened to her... I don't think I could live knowing that it was my fault."

"She wants to be with you, and you want to be with her. Why don't you -"

"You wouldn't understand it Ron." Harry said. "You don't know what it's like. I love her more than anything else in this world, and I'll be damned if I let her get hurt because of me."

Ron acted as if he were going to say something, but then changed his mind. He got up and left the room. A few minutes later, Harry got up as well and went downstairs, entering right into the middle of an arguing match.

"Ronald, sometimes you -" Hermione was saying.

"Sometimes I what?"

Hermione sighed. "Nothing." They were going to continue with the argument, but they stopped when Harry entered the room. They had agreed the night before not to argue as much, at least not around Harry, after Harry had hexed them both for arguing for three hours straight.

"Is it still snowing?" Harry asked to break the silence.

"Yeah. Pretty soon we won't be able to see out the windows." Ron said. Harry looked out the kitchen window. He was right. "At this rate, the kids at Hogwarts are going to be stuck at home until August." Something in Harry perked up for a second, but he ignored it.

"We need to get on with the shield. D'you think anything in the London library would help?"

"I doubt it." Hermione said. "When we were there before I didn't see much. I know that the Hogwarts library has a lot on Gryffindor, but -"

"McGonagall stays there during Christmas break, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but Harry -"

"We could floo there."

"Harry, listen - they won't let us in."

"Why not?"

"The only way you can enter Hogwarts is through the gates. All apparation places and floo networks and any other kind of magical transport anywhere near Hogwarts are closed. They aren't taking any chances after last year."

Harry sighed. Great, he thought. So now what? We can't even get outside to apparate, and most floo networks are closed... "Then I guess the only option we have is the library in London."

"I already -"

"Yes, I heard you. But we don't have any other options until we can get someone back in Hogwarts to look for us. At least it will get us out of the house. Is Diagon Alley open still?"

"It should be." Ron said. "Fred and George just went back yesterday. Some stores might be closed because of the snow, though. But the library's not in Diagon Alley..."

"So Fred and George are open? We can floo to their store, right?"

"I guess."

"Then let's go." Harry said, heading upstairs to grab his winter cloak.

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"Awful weather, isn't it?" Fred asked, once the three of them had appeared into the store.

"No customers." George said, shaking his head. "It's a shame. All those children without anything to prank with..."

"So what brings the dynamic trio here on this very empty day?" Fred asked. "Run out of things to torture each other with?"

"We need to get to London, but we couldn't get outside to apparate." Harry explained.

"What's so important?" Fred asked, but he was never answered. Harry walked outside quickly, and Ron and Hermione followed. A bitter blast of icy cold wind hit Harry in the face. It was still snowing. Harry pulled the collar of his cloak up and continued to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Let's stop for a second." Ron said. "To get back the feeling in our bodies." Harry didn't want to stop, but he knew Ron was right. Although the walk had been short, he felt as if he had been in the snow for days. The three of them sat at the table nearest to the fire. Tom, the innkeeper, offered them a drink. Harry refused but Ron and Hermione each got one.

As they warmed themselves by the fire, Harry looked around. There were only four other customers: a mother and two children, stranded in the storm, and a hooded figure in the corner. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The person in the corner made him extremely uncomfortable.

"We shouldn't stay for too long." Harry whispered to the other two, motioning with his head to the corner. They nodded. Harry wondered who that was. Would a death eater be in Diagon Alley? He decided to find out.

Harry got up and headed for the stairs, glancing at the hooded figure on his way past. The hooded figure glanced back at Harry, and Harry saw a wisp of blond hair fall out of the hood. Harry almost laughed. He went to the figure and sat down across from him.

"Malfoy." He said casually, as if he were talking to Ron. The other said nothing. "Great disguise, by the way. Blends in nicely with the wall."

"Shut it." Draco snapped. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. For a second I thought you were a threat, but now that I can see who you are..."

"If we weren't in public I'd kill you."

"Sure." Harry said. "Join the club."

"I shouldn't be talking to you anyway. You'll go back to that school and tell all your auror protectors."

"Number one: I didn't go back to school. And number two: I don't need aurors to protect me."

Draco snorted. "Figures you'd drop out."

"You're one to talk. You and your best buddy Severus ran back home to master... like two lost puppies..."

"Don't even try to pretend that you know what's happened between myself and the Dark Lord." Draco said heatedly.

"I don't have to pretend. I heard you say it all yourself. I was there when you tried to kill -"

Draco sighed. "This once again proves that Gryffindors are all perpetual eavesdroppers."

"Slytherins aren't much better, but you're getting off the subject."

"There never was a subject."

"I know you didn't want to kill him."

"I'm leaving before you overhear anything else. If you even try to turn me in, then I'll -"

"If I were going to turn you in, don't you think I would have done it by now?" Draco glared at him and walked quickly outside.

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"It was Malfoy? Really?" Ron asked, after Harry had told them what had happened. The three of them had moved to the library, nearly freezing their feet off in the process.

"Yep." Harry said, reaching up to grab a book for Hermione, who was too short to reach it.

"Do you think it was a good idea to tell him that you aren't in school? I mean, he could go back and tell You-Know-Who."

"I'm no safer there than anywhere else. Plus that makes it harder for him to find me if I'm not where he expected me to be."

"Wonder why he's out by himself." Hermione mumbled as she scanned a book. "D'you think he's stationed in Diagon Alley?"

"After he messed up on killing Dumbledore, I'd bet Voldemort isn't very happy with him." Harry said, also scanning a book. "He's probably on the run."

"They killed his mum." Ron said.

"What?" Hermione said, ripping her eyes away from the book.

"It was in the Prophet a few weeks ago. The Ministry found her dead in the Thames."

"That's horrible!"

"That's the way it is with Voldie." Harry said. "Betray him and someone dies. Usually someone very close to you - tortures you more - more fun for him. Hence why I didn't want anyone coming along with me." The other two nodded, seeming to understand him for the first time.

"So, is he against You-Know-Who now?" Ron asked.

"Once you're on the dark side, it's hard to go back. Remember RAB? Died trying to go against Voldemort." Harry said, reaching for another book. "Find anything yet?"

"No, nothing on Gryffindor." Hermione said, reaching for another book. "He has to be in one of these. Good thing this library has all the biographies on important wizards."

"Hey, Harry! Here's one on you." Ron said, pointing to a top shelf. Harry went over to look. A small red book was on the end of the shelf. " 'The Boy Who Lived.' Sounds exciting."

"If this wasn't a library I'd throw that away." Harry said, going back to the G's. "If I make it through all this, I'm writing my own biography. Then everyone can have their facts straight."

"Then it would be an autobiography." Hermione corrected.

"Thank you Miss Correctness." Ron mumbled. Hermione was about to argue back, when -

"Found something!" Harry said, stooping down to get a book off the bottom shelf. "A lot of somethings, actually. "Half of the shelf was on Gryffindor. He handed them up to Ron, who set them on the table with the others.

"Twelve." Hermione counted. "We could be here for a while."

"Not like we have anything else to do." Ron said, sitting at the table and taking a book. "So what exactly are we looking for?"

"To see if Gryffindor had a shield in the first place." Harry said, also taking a book. "Or anything else that could be a horcrux."

After two hours of reading, nothing had come up. Ron was falling asleep on the table. "This is useless." Hermione said, closing her book and hitting Ron over the head with it. "We should go before the library closes." Harry helped her put the books back, a few of which she 'accidentally' dropped on Ron so that he'd stay awake. Then the three of them sauntered back toward Diagon Alley. It was still snowing. The snow had built up so much that a mountain of it fell on them when they opened the brick wall.

"It's the yeti!" George said when a very snowy Ron entered the shop. "Quick, Fred! The yeti repellant!"

"Shut it." Ron said, throwing snow at them.

"Watch yourself." Fred said. "You're getting everything wet."

"And some things aren't so nice when they're wet." George said. "Like cats, for example."

"Didn't find anything?" George said, switching the open sign with one that said closed.

"Nothing useful." Harry said, heading for the fireplace. "As usual."

"You'll never guess who we saw." George said.

"Who?"

"Draco Malfoy."

"Did he come in here?" Hermione asked.

"No, but we were watching it snow - wanted to try out something new -and we saw him walking toward Knockturn Alley. The wind blew his hood back." Harry listened more closely. The last time he had gone to Knockturn Alley...

"How long ago did you see him?" Harry asked.

"Not too long ago. Why?"

"Harry, he's probably gone by now." Hermione said, but Harry headed for the door.


	17. Illness

Notes: Hi... I'm procrastinating... school starts tomorrow and I still don't havemy summer work done... anyway...

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"Harry!" Hermione called. "Stop!" Harry stopped, quite annoyed.

"What is it?"

"It's foolish to go to Knockturn Alley now. It's freezing cold, and it's almost dark. If a death eater didn't catch you, then a flu would! Plus, he might not have been -"

"Remember the last time you thought I was 'wrong' about Malfoy?" Harry said heatedly. He turned and walked away quickly.

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Knockturn Alley was more deserted than Diagon Alley. No one was in the streets, and only one store had its lights on – the same one they'd seen Malfoy in last year. Harry snuck up to Borgin and Burkes and peeked in the window.

But Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Harry cursed under his breath. He probably left long ago, he told himself. He wouldn't linger where so many death eaters were, especially since he is on Voldemort's bad side.

Harry stood up to leave. He figured that he'd better hurry, before the sun went down completely. It would be hard to get out of Knocturn Alley in the dark. Just then, someone grabbed Harry around the waist and dragged him into Borgin and Burkes.

"Been snooping, have we?" A gruff voice said in Harry's ear. "Now ya get to see what we do to snoopers…" Harry tried to scream, but the man dragging him caught him by the throat. The hand nearly wrapped the whole way around his neck."No, none o' that."

Harry was thrown roughly by the throat into the back room of Borgin and Burkes. He soon found out that this man was not Borgin – he had never seen this man before, but the mark on his left forearm clearly showed which side he was on. He was a very large man. Harry thought that the only person he knew of that could take him on was Hagrid, who was miles away. "Kind o' funny, isn't it? All those big shot death eaters lookin' to kill ya, and here ya show up right in front o' me." The man got very close to Harry's face. "Thanks for makin' it so easy."

Harry stood up, pushing himself against the wall that he had recently been thrown against. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the man. The man laughed. "Goin' to fight me, are ya?"

"No." Harry said ashis mind searched for a spell, any spell, to use against the man.

"Good." The man said. He punched Harry on the side of the head, making Harry's head hit against the wall and sending his glasses flying. Harry sunk to the ground, but then pulled himself back up again. The man hit him again, smirking and enjoying every second of it.

Harry pulled himself up for the third time. He had an idea."Expecto partonum." Harry said with a shakey voice. Prongs shot out and went galloping through the store. Hopefully Ron and Hermione hadn't left Diagon Alley yet…

"Callin' yer little friends?" The man said, smirking at Harry. The man came up to Harry quickly, grabbing him by the throat again. "Well, it's too late. We'll see how easy they find ya when yer dead!" Harry was dragged outside and across the street, where the man threw him into a pile of snow. "Stupefy!" Harry saw a bolt of red light coming at him, and then everything went dark.

--------------------------------------------------------------

When Harry woke up, he was looking at a fireplace, bursting with bright orange flames. He didn't know where he was, or what had happened. All he did know was that he was extremely cold, and he felt like he had the worst flu ever imagined. Someone said something, but Harry didn't quite catch it. The voice was familiar, though.

The view of the fire was blocked by Hermione's face. "Thank goodness you're awake! We were starting to think that you'd never wake up." Harry was going to ask what happened, but the signal from his brain to his mouth got lost somewhere. "That should teach you to run off with silly ideas. Here, drink this." She helped him sit up, and then handed him a steaming cup of tea. Harry's hands were shaking so hard that he nearly spilt it all over himself.

"What happened?" he asked, finally able to speak again.

"You don't remember?" Harry shook his head. "You ran off trying to chase down Malfoy into Knockturn Alley – when it was freezing outside and nearly dark! Apparently you ran into a death eater, who threw you into the snow, stunned you, and left you for dead. Good thing we hadn't left Diagon Alley yet."

Not one of my better decisions, Harry thought. Hermione was still glaring at him. "You're lucky we found you."

"Okay, okay – it was a bad choice on my part. Will you drop it now?" Harry handed the cup back to her and lied back down. He felt like he was going to die – every part of him ached. "Where are we?" Harry asked her. 

"The Burrow. We originally took you back to Fred and George's shop, but this morning Mrs. Weasley came by and insisted on bringing you here."

Harry nodded, trying to clear his mind. Mrs. Weasley was being nice to him again? Ginny must have said something… He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he was shivering so badly that he could barely keep still. Hermione covered him up with another blanket. Why am I so cold? He thought. Hermione was only in light pajamas, and she looked very warm – where as Harry was under several blankets and next to a large fire, and freezing like he was naked inside a giant ice cube.

Hermione eventually left him, and not long afterward Ron entered the room. "Hey Harry." He said, sitting on a nearby armchair. "It's so hot down here."

"I'm freezing." Harry said quietly. His throat had suddenly started hurting badly.

"You don't look or sound good at all." You think? Harry thought, too weak to say what he thought.

Mrs. Weasley came into the room quickly and immediately began fussing over Harry. He tried to push her away, saying that he only wanted to sleep, but it was no use. After painfully swallowing ten different potions and continually saying that he would be okay, she went back into the kitchen.

Harry moaned and turned over on the couch. The side of his head hurt worse than his throat, but all the pain was starting to go away. He stared at the fire until the potions made him fall asleep.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Almost a week later, Harry was even worse than he had been. Mrs. Weasley guessed that it was going to take a lot of time for him to recover; no matter how much potion he took.

Harry lied in the same spot in complete agony. His body hurt worse than ever, and his chest burned every time he breathed. He couldn't swallow anything because of his throat. Mrs. Weasley decided that it was time to take him to St. Mungo's.

The healer at St. Mungo's examined Harry and then left the room. As Harry waited for him to return, Ron joined him in the room. "I spend far too much time in this place." Ron said, taking a seat across the room.

"Where's your mum?" Harry said hoarsely.

"Talking with the healer. I figured you wouldn't want to be left alone in here for very long." The healer reentered, followed by Mrs. Weasley. Hermione stood in the doorway.

"Well Harry," the healer said, "it appears that you have the Wizard's Flu."

"The what?" Harry said. He didn't know wizards had their own brand of a virus.

"Yes. Much like the regular flu, except it only attacks magical people. The symptoms are more severe, however. So, you'll be needing to take these." He said, holding up a bag with several bottles in it. He handed the bag to Mrs. Weasley. "And you should be better in a week or so. Lots of rest, no running around – especially outside. Stay indoors. And don't stress yourself too much."

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"Harry, did you already forget what the healer said?" Hermione said.

"I'm not doing anything stressful." Harry replied. He was back at the Burrow, climbing the stairs slowly.

"I know what you're doing."

"What is it then?"

Hermione sighed. "Harry, I'm just worried that you'll -"

"I'm fine Hermione. I'm tired of being on that couch."

"But it's nearly time for dinner."

"I'll be down in a second." Hermione left him and went back downstairs, and Harry kept going up. He was going to do something, but he didn't want to tell Hermione that. He needed to get to Grimmauld Place, but since he couldn't go outside to apparate, and the only floo-able fireplace was downstairs….

Harry walked cautiously to Ron's room. He knew Ron wasn't there (it was almost time to eat – Ron would be wherever the food was). He went slowly into the room and opened a window. The icy air flew into his face. Outside was still covered in tons snow, so much that the trees' branches were just sitting on top of it.

He stuck his wand out the window. There was only one way to leave without being seen. He hoped that he was strong enough to do a spell. "Accio invisibility cloak." He said quietly. The spell didn't get a foot away from him, when he fell to his knees, nearly dropping his wand out of the window. He felt weaker than ever.

"Harry!" Hermione said, throwing the door open. "I knew it." She went over to him and helped him up, shutting the window. "You shouldn't be doing magic when you're this sick."

Harry nodded and pushed her off of him, not wanting to hear anymore of her lectures. "I figured that out, thanks."

"Do you know why they call it the Wizard's flu?" she asked.

"No, but I bet you're going to tell me." Harry muttered, stumbling downstairs slowly.

"It's because it doesn't only attack you're body - It attacks your magic as well."

"What?" Harry said, stopping halfway to the next step.

"It attacks your magic." She repeated. "Hence why muggles never get it, and why the symptoms are more severe."

"So I can't do magic?"

"Not for at least another week. I knew you were going to try to, so I followed you." She admitted, looking a little embarrassed. "What's so important anyway? Don't even say horcrux."

"Okay then, Voldemort's-magical-soul-splitting-thingy."

"A horcrux isn't worth your health."

"Yes it is." Harry said, turning to her. "It's worth my health, my sanity, and my life. Whatever it takes to get rid of him for good."

"You'll never be able to fight Voldemort if you are so weak that you can't walk properly." Harry sighed and continued down the stairs. "No, Harry, listen to me!" she said, coming up in front of him. "You might not want my help, but I'm going to give it to you anyway. I know I can't stop you from fighting Voldemort, but I can stop you from killing yourself before you get there!"

"I never said I didn't want your help."

"Good." She floated him in the air. "Then you won't object to me taking this." She pulled his wand out of his hand.

"Hermione!" Harry said, struggling against the spell.

"I'm sorry Harry, but this is for your own good. Now come on. Mrs. Weasley will be worried if we don't show up for dinner." She floated him down the stairs and into a chair at the table, slipping his wand into her pocket.

-------------------------------------

End notage: Don't be angry at Hermione. There's a very good reason (other than the obvious) that she took his wand. foreshadowing


	18. Behind Closed Doors

Notes: Hermy isn't evil!

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I'm really getting lazy, Harry thought. He had been lying there for three weeks, but at least he was feeling better.Hermione was sitting across the room, reading a very thick book. "Hermy?"

"Don't call me that."

"I was thinking that we should get on with-"

"Give it a rest Harry."

"But it's been three weeks!"

"And you're still sick."

"I was going to say that you and Ron should keep looking. Mrs. Weasley won't let me get off of this couch, let alone look for a horcrux." Hermione shook her head. Harry was starting to get angry at her. "If you two really want to help me then you should keep looking." He snapped. She didn't respond, so Harry turned to face the back of the couch angrily. Fine then, be that way, he thought. I guess I have to do everything myself.

Harry got up off the couch quickly, and Hermione looked up from her book. He left her and went into the other room, ignoring her when she began to say that he should still be resting.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. What else could it have been?" Harry stopped just outside the kitchen door. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks were talking.

"Oh, well, did you talk to her about it? That's a very large step." Tonks asked.

"No, but Ginny's a smart girl. I'm sure she won't do anything stupid."

"I guess that explains you bringing Harry here."

"Well, I suppose I'm going to have to deal with it eventually." Harry stopped listening. So that's why she's suddenly so nice... he entered the kitchen, stopping the chat instantly. "Oh, Harry! How are you?" Mrs. Weasley began.

"I'm fine." Harry said, trying to avoid the wave of helpfullness."A lot better, actually. Hi Tonks." Tonks was seated at the table, her hair a little duller than usual.

"Do you need anything?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No, just walking around." He walked back out of the kitchen to avoid the ackwardness of an interrupted conversation. He went upstairs and found Ron in his room.He was lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. "Hi." Harry said.

"Hi." Ron sat up. "Can I help you?"

"No." Harry said, wondering what had happened to put Ron in such a bad mood. "Everyone's so negative today." He mumbled as he left the room.

"It's not you Harry." Ron said. "Some people have been getting on my last nerve." Harry stopped and reentered the room.

"We've all been stuck here for too long." Harry said "I tried to tell Hermione that you two should continue with the horcruxes -"

"I bet that didn't go too well." Ron said. "Not that she doesn't want to help you. It's because you said 'you two'."

Harry rolled his eyes. "For crying out loud..."

"It's not me - it's her! It's not my fault that she won't admit it."

Harry eyed him suspiciously. "Wait - you mean this whole thing is because -"

"Yes!" Ron said, standing up. "What does she have against me? It's like I'm not good enough for her! If I could only find out what she really thinks, without her yelling at me..."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not getting involved in this."

"But Harry -"

"I can't hear you." Harry covered his ears and started walking away.

"Please? Harry, I really need your help with this."

Harry sighed and uncovered his ears. "So you really do fancy her?"

"Yes." Ron mumbled. "But she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you."

"Yes she does. The only reason she even stays around is because of you. If it were only me she would have been gone long ago."

"There is nothing going on between me and Hermione." Harry said, seeing what Ron was refering to.

"Just because you don't fancy her doesn't mean she doesn't fancy you. Face it, Harry. She's had a thing for you from the day you saved her from that troll."

"Number one: you stopped the troll. And number two: If she really did fancy me, then why did she keep bothering me about Ginny all last year? You're talking nonsense."

"But -"

"Just go talk to her Ron."

"What if she rejects me?"

"What if she doesn't?" Ron sighed, still not wanting to face Hermione at all. "Listen. The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was waiting to say something to Ginny. I waited so long that we only got a few weeks together, and now I might never see her again. The point is that you can't wait. I won't let you make the same mistake that I did." Ron shook his head. "What if she dies tomorrow? Then what? You have to live knowing that you always had the chance to tell her but you never did. Life's too short to wait."

"It's very hard for someone like me to approach someone like her." Ron said. "We'll probably end up arguing anyway."

Harry left Ron and went downstairs. He was going to end this now. He grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her upstairs, shoving her gently into Ron's room. "Go for it." he told Ron.

"What?" Hermione said, very confused.

"Harry -" Ron started.

"Do it. I'm not letting you out until you do." Harry closed the door and locked it with his wand, waiting just down the hall incase one of them tried to escape.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry eventually abandoned the hall. They had been in there for a very long time, so either it had worked or they had killed each other.

He went to a room a few floors down. He knew who's it was, but he had never been there for more than five minutes. All of the help he had been giving Ron had made him think about someone that he shouldn't have been thinking about.

The room was messy. Apparently she hadn't bothered to clean up before she left. The sheets on the bed were tossed around, pillows everywhere. Harry lied down on the bed, suddenly feeling very tired. The bed was very soft and smelt like flowers. He pulled the blankets over himself.

There was a stuffed dog under one of the pillows. Harry grabbed it and held it close to him, wishing that it was Ginny instead of a dog. He pushed his head against the soft pillows and fell to sleep.

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When he woke up it was dark outside. He didn't want to get up, but he knew it was his only chance to leave. He snuck downstairs, taking the stuffed dog with him.

"Harry!" Someone shouted. Harry jumped and looked behind him. It was Hermione. "Where d'you think you're going?" she asked, her arms crossed.

"Uhh... I was just..."

"You were leaving, weren't you? Well, I have to say that I'm surprised with you. Honestly Harry -"

"Hermione, I have to -"

"You're not going anywhere." someone said from behind her. Ron stepped out of the shadows. "At least, not without us."

"What?"

Hermione handed Harry's wand back to him, smiling. "We've told youa million times. You can't get rid of us. So, where are we going?"

"I guess to Grimmauld Place."

"We should leave a note for your mum." Hermione said to Ron "So she doesn't get worried."

"Yeah." Ron said, going to do just that, but he stopped. "Harry, what's that?" he asked, pointing to the dog in Harry's arms.

"Nothing."

"It's a stuffed animal, isn't it?"

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is." Hermione said, taking it from him. "Aww, Harry. That's so cute!"

"Shut it." Harry said, pulling it back from her.

"It's Ginny's, isn't it?" Ron said. "And don't say it isn't, because I know it is."

"Okay - it is. So what?"

"Aww!" Hermione said.

"Stop it!"

"Leave him alone Hermione." Ron said, returning to what he was doing. "Everyone gets lonely sometimes."

"So did you two kiss and make up?" Harry asked.

"Not in that order." Ron whispered to him. "And thanks, by the way."


	19. Kidnapped

Les Notes: Sorry about the wand thing. Darn my memory… I knew I shouldn't have taken calculus this year. It's frying my brain.

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Harry ran upstairs to his room in Grimmauld Place. He wanted to change out of the clothes he'd been wearing for way too long, plus he needed to hide the stuffed dog before Hermione saw him with it again.

He hid the dog under his pillow and opened his trunk to get out his clothes. As he was putting on new pants, he noticed that they were a little tighter than they used to be…

"Harry?" Hermione said, looking in the door. "Oh, sorry."

"No, it's alright." He slipped his shirt on and grabbed his cloak. "Besides, it's nothing you haven't seen before, right?" He walked past her, smiling widely.

"Harry Potter!"

"You two were in that room for a long time. Who knows what could have happened?"

"Oh, you…" she sighed. "I should have known. That really is all that boys think about, isn't it?"

"No, not always. I wasn't thinking about anything, but now that you mention it -" Hermione shoved him down the stairs.

They met Ron halfway down. He looked at them suspiciously. "Where to next?" He asked Harry.

"I dunno. I just wanted to get away from your mum… no offense."

"No, I get it, believe me." The three of them went to the kitchen. "You should have seen when we all got chicken pox."

"I've never had chicken pox." Hermione said as she sat down at the table.

"Never?" Ron said. She shook her head. Harry was silent. "I suppose you're going to say that we should be talking about horcruxes instead of chicken pox, right?"

"I wasn't going to say anything." Harry said absently. He was thinking, but not about horcruxes or chicken pox.

"Well, we should be talking about horcruxes." Hermione said. "I mean, the faster we find them the better, right?" Harry wasn't paying attention. "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Horcruxes?"

"What about them?"

"Don't you want to look for one?"

"Not really. But I guess I have no choice in the matter."

"We still don't know if he had a shield in the first place." Ron reminded them.

"The shield doesn't matter." Harry said, still only half in the conversation. "It isn't the shield."

"Then what is it?" Hermione asked. "What else would he use as the Gryffindor horcrux?"

"He doesn't have one. Yet."

"He doesn't have a Gryffindor horcrux?" Ron asked, apparently confused.

"No, not yet."

"How do you know?"

"Because I just know. It isn't a shield. It's something else." Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Then what do you think it is?"

"I said already that he doesn't have one yet. He still needs to get one."

Ron shook his head. "Sorry Harry, but you're not making much sense. If he doesn't already have the horcrux, then why would he bother making one now?"

"He knows we're looking for them. So making a new one and keeping it close to him would ensure that we could never get to it - at least not without going through him."

"Do you have any proof?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed, starting to get annoyed. "I don't know how I know. I just do. I know that Voldemort doesn't have the Gryffindor horcrux yet, whether you believe me or not."

"Okay, okay." Hermione said quickly. "Calm down. All I'm saying is you should make sure."

"I know." Harry said, leaning back in his chair. "Sorry - I didn't mean to -"

"It's alright." Hermione said quickly. "You look like there's something other than horcruxes on your mind." Harry nodded, but didn't say anything. "Are you going to share with us?"

"I'm worried about Hogwarts." Harry said quietly. "Now that Dumbledore's gone..."

"You think he'll attack the school?" Ron asked.

"Well, he loved it so much and got kind of mad when they didn't let him teach - so maybe since Dumbledore isn't around anymore -" Harry stopped. Someone had just entered the house. A lot of someones - half the Order had just arrived. "D'you think I should tell them?"

"About Hogwarts?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded, standing up to see exactly who was entering. "I don't think it would do much good. They'll probably just shoo you away."

"I'm going to say something anyway. Couldn't hurt, right?" Harry walked toward the aurors, not waiting to hear if they thought it could hurt. He came upon Tonks, who was looking for Lupin anxiously. "Tonks?"

"Yes?"

"You're still stationed in Hogsmeade, right?"

"Last time I checked." She said, spotting Lupin and beginning to walk away from Harry.

"I think Hogwarts is in danger of an attack." Harry said quickly. He only meant to stop her, but more than five people turned to look at him.

Lupin came up to Harry. "I know you're worried, but trust me, there is no way that any Death Eater could-"

"Then how do you explain what happened last year?" Harry blurted out. "How do you explain how a load of Death Eaters practically walked right in when the Aurors, the Ministry, and Dumbledore were guarding the school?"

"Harry we took care of Mr. Malfoy and -"

"No, you don't understand!"

"Half of the aurors in England are guarding Hogwarts right now," Lupin said quickly, so as to shut Harry up. "Both on the inside and outside. Everything will be okay."

Harry sighed. "Fine then. Don't believe me. I mean, no one ever believed me when I told them about Malfoy. I'm only the person who's in charge of killing one of the most powerful wizards ever - but what would I know about the situation?" All of the aurors in the room were now looking at Harry, but Harry didn't care. "Why would my opinion matter? I'm just a child, right? That's all I am to you. Nothing important - If it weren't for me, you'd all probably be dead now. But don't listen when I try to tell you something important. Just ignore me like you always have." Lupin tried to say something, but Harry stormed off upstairs before he got the chance.

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Several days later, Harry was sitting in his room, looking over the memories again. It wasn't the shield - he knew it wasn't - but then what was it? And how would Voldemort go about getting it? Harry sighed, completely frustrated. Maybe I was wrong about the shield... it makes about as much sense as anything else...

He gave up and went downstairs. There weren't any Order members there, and he hadn't exactly been on good terms with them since he'd lost his temper in front of them. There wasn't any sign of his two best friends either, but he knew where they probably were. He fell onto a couch and closed his eyes, enjoying the silence.

But it didn't last very long. Soon he heard someone coming downstairs quietly. "Harry?" he heard. It was Hermione. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." Harry said, not opening his eyes.

"You're voice is raspy - I think you're getting sick again."

"I'm fine. It's just a sore throat."

"If you say so."

"I do. What are you and Ronnykins doing up there?"

"Nothing..." She said as she began to walk away. Harry rolled his eyes.

"You shouldn't deny it."

"I'm not denying anything!"

"Maybe we should ask him that." Harry said. He could hear Ron coming downstairs.

"Ask me what?" Ron asked. Harry told him. Ron looked at Hermione, and then back to Harry. "Well, it's nothing you and Ginny haven't done, right?"

"And how would you know what we have and have not done?" Harry asked. "Have you been snooping?"

"No... but I can guess."

"Okay, enough of this!" Hermione said. "There are more important things to talk about."

"I agree," Harry said. "Besides, I don't care either way. I was just curious."

"Horcrux time?" Ron asked, sitting on a couch opposite of Harry's.

"Sure." Harry said, sitting up. "I was wondering - d'you think Dumbledore ever told McGonagall about the horcruxes?"

"Probably." Hermione said, joining Ron on the couch. "She was his right hand woman, right? He had to have said something, in case something would happen to him. That way she could have as much information on - Voldemort - as possible."

"Makes sense to me." Harry said. "But what if he -" Harry never got to finish his sentence. At that moment, nearly every member of the Order crowded into the house and met in the kitchen. "Now what?"

"Emergency meeting." Ron said, looking over the couch.

"I'm seriously starting to reconsider allowing them to use this house."

"We should go upstairs, so that we don't bother them." Hermione said. She and Ron got up, but Harry didn't move. "Are you coming?"

"I guess. Someone's got to keep you two out of trouble."

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Everything was dark. Harry looked around, wondering where he was. He couldn't see anything. Suddenly, someone started screaming. It was a girl - no, it wasn't just a girl. It was Ginny, and someone was hurting her. Harry tried to find her, but it was too dark. He called to her, but the screaming grew softer until it disappeared all together.

Harry woke up quickly. It was only a dream... he lied back down, breathing deeply to slow down his heart.Calmdown, it was just a dream.

He could hear someone in the hallway, and he got up to look. Ron and Hermione were near the stairs, peeping down to try to see the meeting below. "What are you doing?" Harry asked. Hermione jumped.

"Don't do that!" She hissed.

"There still in the meeting." Ron said, still looking down. "I think they have a new record for the longest meeting -six hours and twenty-five minutes."

"Wonder what's so important." Harry said, joining them on the stairs. A few members left the room, went outside, and apparated away. They were leaving, slowly. Harry stood up again and went downstairs.

"Where're you going?" Hermione asked.

"To see what's going on." He walked downstairs and waited for the next person to leave. A wizard that looked younger than Tonks left the room. Harry stopped him. "What's going on in there?"

"Lots of things." the young wizard said. "Some stuff about Death Eaters and all that."

"So where's everyone going?"

"Back to their posts. Can't stay away for too long, now can they? Only the heads are staying behind. Trying to make a plan, I'd guess." Harry let the young man leave and snuck up to the kitchen door. Only a few were left, including Lupin, Tonks, Moody, and Bill Weasley.

"We're going to have to let them go home." Moody said. "There's no other way. The parents have control."

"But then the school will have to close for good." Lupin said. Harry guessed they were talking about Hogwarts.

"No one would want their child to stay there after what happened last night." Tonks said. "And Moody's right - we have no control over it."

"What about the ones that were taken?" Lupin asked. "We have to tell their families." Harry felt as if someone had stunned him. They hadn't said the exact words, but he knew what it meant. The dream... it all made sense...

"I'll take care of mine." Bill said. "You're on your own with the others."

"Poor Molly." Tonks said. "First her boys, and now this. Who's going to tell Harry?"

"I'll do that too." Bill said. "In the morning though. No sense in waking him up."

"Yeah, the poor thing might never sleep again."

Harry walked back upstairs, too stunned to care if they heard him or not. He walked straight past Ron and Hermione, ignoring them when they asked what had happened. He went into his room and locked the door.


	20. Plans

Notes: Nobody died! People were kidnapped, but no one has died - yet...

I need you're help: the next time you review, tell me which chapter out of the one's I've written so far are your favorite. I need to use one of them for a journal entry in my English class, but I don't know which one to pick. So tell me which one to use! Thanks in advance.

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Harry stayed in his room for the next few days with the door locked. No one bothered him - he guessed that they had figured out that he had overheard the conversation. But he hadn't locked himself in there because he was depressed - he was making a plan, and didn't want anyone to bother him. Bill told Ron the day after. Harry supposed that Ron had had the same reaction as he did, because he hadn't heard from him or Hermione in all the time he had been in his room.

On the fifth morning Harry finally came out of the room. He found Bill in the kitchen, meditating at the table. Harry sat across from him. Neither of them said anything for a long time.

"Bill?" Harry said.

"Yeah?"

"How did it happen?"

Bill sighed and straightened his back. "McGonagall was gone for some reason. We still don't know how the Death Eaters got in. One of the aurors there said that the Dark Lord himself was there, but she'd had her memory modified so we don't know how reliable she is. Either way, they kidnapped three students and stole some things."

"Who else was kidnapped?"

"Parvati Patil and Neville Longbottom."

"All Gryffindors..." Harry noted.

"Yes. Some members of the Order think they were looking for you, but since you weren't there they took whoever was."

"No," Harry said. "They took people who are close to me. Neville's my friend and I took Parvati to a ball once... and Ginny..." he paused for a second. "What did they steal?"

"Well, the major thing was the Sorting Hat." Harry tried hard to look surprised. I knew it, he thought. The Gryffindor horcrux... "Which is a major problem for Hogwarts. Without the hat the school really doesn't exist beyond it's current students."

"So they're at the mercy of Voldemort." Bill nodded. "I knew it."

"You did?"

"I tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen to me. And now look what's happened... how's you're mum?"

"She's really broken up about it, but she knows we won't rest until we find Ginny. I thought you'd have a harder time with it than she did, but I can see that you aren't."

"That's not it." Harry said. "I knew it would happen. I tried to warn her. Months ago... but again all my warnings go unnoticed."

"Well, don't worry. We'll get her back."

"No," Harry corrected. "I will."

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Harry left Bill and went back upstairs. The door to Ron's room was open, and he could hear a banging noise from inside. Harry stepped into the doorway. Ron was clumsily packing his things into a trunk. When he noticed that Harry was there, he stopped.

"Mum wants me to come home." Ron explained. "Can't say that I blame her."

"It's alright." Harry said, coming into the room. "I understand."

"I don't really want to go, but since..."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Harry said quickly.

"Really?"

"Really."

Ron closed the trunk. "I should get going. Bill's waiting for me." He straightened up and looked at Harry. "If you want to come to the Burrow - don't be afraid to. Mum doesn't hate you."

"No, really, I'm fine here."

"Take care of yourself."

"I always do." Then something unexpected happened. For the first time in all the years he'd known Ron, the two of them hugged.

"Not a word of that to Hermione." Ron said as he floated his trunk out of the room.

"Of course not." Harry watched him go downstairs. "Ron."

Ron stopped. "Yeah?"

I'll get her back."

"I know you will."

Harry let Ron leave, continued onto his room and found Hermione sitting on his bed. "Hi."

"Oh, sorry, I was just -"

"Don't worry about it. There's no crime for sitting on my bed." He watched her for a second. She looked troubled. "Go with him, Hermione."

"No, I couldn't. I can't just leave you here -"

"Go with him. I'll be alright."

"Really? Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. Get going before they leave."

"Well, okay... but I'll come back to check on you."

"I'll be fine on my own. Trust me."

She started to leave, but then stopped. "Don't do anything stupid."

"No more stupid than usual." She smiled.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to come get us."

"I won't." She smiled again and then came back quickly and kissed him on the cheek.

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Harry was lying in his bed. He wasn't tired at all, but he had nothing better to do. The last to horcruxes were with Voldemort - he couldn't go on with them until he went to get Voldemort himself. The only thing left to do was plan how he would do it. He had already thought of many plans, but each was just as ridiculous as the next.

Harry realized that he didn't need to worry about finding Ginny. He won't kill her - he's using her as bait, just like he did with Sirius. Now all I have to do is wait for the bait to come. Harry decided to leave his mind as open as possible every night before he slept. He'll send it to me in a dream, like last time. Why change a plan that's guaranteed to work?

But the dream would not come. He waited for a week, and nothing happened. Maybe I need to be more aggressive - make him think that I'm coming to get him right now, so that he'll think he needs to throw the 'bait' out faster... Harry shook his head. Voldemort's not stupid. He doesn't jump to conclusions, unlike myself. So now what do I do?

He pulled out his picture of Ginny. Now he missed her more than ever, and felt horrible for dragging her into this situation. He told himself that if they both made it out of this alive that he would never leave her ever again, no matter what.

Harry got up and headed for the door. He had just thought of something. He should do more research on where exactly Voldemort might be, so that when the time came he'd be familiar with it already. But to do that he needed news, and the best way to get that without disturbing anyone was through the _Prophet_. And to get the _Prophet_ he needed to go to Diagon Alley...

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An hour later Harry was in Ron's room at the Burrow, with pages of the Prophet spread everywhere. He had been able to find copies from weeks past because people weren't buying it as much. He'd thought that three searchers would be better than one, and Ron and Hermione had of course agreed to help.

"Nothing here." Hermione said, setting a paper into the pile with the other useless sections. She looked over to Ron. "I don't think you're going to find anything in the sports section."

"You don't know what I'm looking for." Harry glanced at the paper in Ron's hands. It had a large article on it about the new international quidditch season and how it would continue with all the dark events happening. "The quidditch season is still on."

"That's good." Harry said. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. Harry glared at her. " 'What is it with boys and quidditch?' " he mocked.

"I do not sound like that."

"Yes you do." Ron said, setting down the sports section. "But I'll keep looking, since that's what I'm _supposed_ to be doing."

"Oh, shut up."

"Here's something." Harry said, spreading the paper out so that they could all see it. "Dark Lord sighted in Surrey." He looked up at the date. "Four days ago."

"Why was he in Surrey?" Hermione asked.

"That's where his aunt and uncle live." Ron said. "Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. So you think he was seeing if you were there?"

"Why else?" Harry said. "Unless there's a Death Eater near there." Then Harry had an idea - Mrs. Figg. If anything had happened on Privet Drive, she would know. He looked up at the clock. Still early in the evening... "I'll be right back."

"Wait - you're not going without us." Hermione said, following him.

"Yey, field trip." Ron said. But he couldn't get past Mrs. Weasley.

"Ronald Weasley, where do you think you're going?" She asked, coming out of the kitchen just as they opened the front door.

"There's a friend of mine," Harry explained. "She might have seen something - Voldemort was sighted near where she lives."

"Who is this friend?"

"Mrs. Figg."

"Arabella Figg?"

"Yeah."

"Oh... well then, that's okay. But you had better be back before it gets dark."

"We will mum, don't worry." Ron said, pushing Harry and Hermione out the door. "I swear, sometimes..."

"She's only worried about you, Ron." Hermione said.

"She can't control me anymore! I've technically been an adult for almost a year now. I can take care of myself."

"Yes, but you will always need your mother, no matter how old you are!" she retorted.

"Don't make me turn you both into plates." Harry warned. "Privet Drive, okay?" They nodded and popped away.

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End notes: I think that's long enough for now. Plates are very humorous objects... I need to go sleepy anyway - I have a calculus test tomorrow. Don't forget about picking you're favorite chapter!


	21. Into Darkness

Notages: Oye... sorry I haven't updated in so long. School's a beast, and my site disappeared... Anyway, I deleted Fairy Princess if anyone was looking for it. I kinda lost interest in it.

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Harry popped onto Privet Drive first. Ron and Hermione were a bit slower. Probably still arguing, he thought.

Something was wrong with Privet Drive, especially number four. No one was outside, not one person at all. Harry went over and knocked on the Dursley's door. No one answered. It was so unusually quiet that he felt like he was being watched. Even the birds were silent. Then there were two pops behind him.

"Oh my gosh, sometimes you are so clueless!"

"What?"

"You don't get it."

"There's nothing to get!"

"Shut it!" Harry said, spinning around. He went over to them quickly. "Listen."

They were silent for a second. "Listen to what?" Ron asked.

"Exactly!"

"Were is everyone?" Hermione asked, looking around. Harry turned toward Mrs. Figg's house and walked away quickly. The silence was becoming extremely unnerving. The other two followed.

"Oh, Harry, it's you." Mrs. Figg said as she opened her door. "Come in, quickly now. I thought I heard someone out there. At least it wasn't the same someone as last time."

"What happened?" Harry asked, leading the way into her living room. The old smell of cats filled his nose.

"Death Eaters. Tons of them - just apparated right in the middle of the street - in the middle of the day!"

"Was Voldemort there?"

"No, I don't think so. But then again there was such a panic that I might not have seen him."

"A panic?" Hermione said.

"You wouldn't panic if he just popped onto your street?" Ron asked.

"Well, I would, but I mean - aren't most of the people around here muggles?"

"Most of them, yes." Mrs. Figg said. "Actually Harry and I were the only two magical people on Privet Drive - well, I'm - you know." She looked embarrassed for a moment. Harry wondered if Hermione and Ron knew that she was a squib. "Now, what's all this about Death Eaters? Why're you so interested in what happened?"

"We're - well, _I'm_ trying to track down Voldemort. Those two won't stop following me."

"Hey!" Ron and Hermione said at almost the same time.

"Won't ever give that up, will you?" Mrs. Figg asked. "No, I guess not. I'm not really the person to talk to about that." Harry sighed. Of course not... another waste of time... "Don't be too hard on yourself, Harry. Remember that the best aurors in the country haven't found him yet."

"I'm different. He wants me to find him so that he can kill me. Make me fall into the trap rather than him coming to find me." Mrs. Figg looked slightly alarmed. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione. "Come on. We should leave."

"But you just got here." Mrs. Figg said. Harry headed for the door.

"Sorry, didn't mean to bother you for nothing."

"Harry, we should stay for a bit." Hermione said, "We don't -"

"You can stay if you want, but I need to go." Harry left quickly and walked down the street. He didn't know where he was going or why. He wanted to go somewhere far away, where he wouldn't have to worry about any of this, where everyone would leave him alone... but that place didn't exist. Not anymore...

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Harry sat in Grimmauld Place, on a couch in the living room. No one else was in the house. He sat hugging his legs and staring into the empty fireplace. Then there was a knock at the door.

"Harry!" Hermione said, nearly jumping in the door. "You shouldn't run away like that."

"You could have guessed where I was." Harry said, half annoyed.

"We haven't seen you in three weeks, after you just stormed out of Mrs. Figg's -"

"I didn't storm anywhere."

"We were worried about you -"

"You knew where I was the whole time!" Harry said, throwing his arms up. "Where else could I go? Besides, it's not like you made an effort to come find me."

"That's not what I mean!" she said, now just as angry as he was. "I know you can protect yourself, and you're not stupid. I meant that we're worried about you emotionally."

"Thanks, but I'm fine." He started to walk away from her.

"No, you're not."

"What?"

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? You look a mess."

"Thanks for the compliments. Now either shut up or leave my house." He walked away from her and into the kitchen quickly, hoping that she would give up.

"No!" Hermione followed him, and eventually jumped in front of him. "Listen to me!" She grabbed his arm, and he pulled away quickly, elbowing her in the face in the process. She let go and bent over slightly, covering her now bloody nose.

Harry stopped. Had he done that? Nice going Harry, he told himself. Mess things up a little more, why don't you? "Hermione... I -"

"It's okay." she said, wiping the blood off with a towel. "I was being annoying."

"Just a little." She smiled and laughed nasally. "Sorry. I dunno what's been wrong with me."

"I do."

"You do?"

"Sit down." she motioned to the table, and Harry sat. She sat across from him. "You need to relax about this whole Voldemort thing."

"Hermione -"

"No, I'm serious. You need to stop worrying so much about that and worrying more about yourself."

"There are more important things than me. If I don't stop him then no one else will."

"Yes, but you're not going to stop him right now, are you? So why don't you rest for a bit -"

"How do you know I wasn't about to go right before you came?" She raised her eyebrows. Harry sighed. "Do you have to know everything?"

"Yes."

He sighed again. "The truth is - I have no idea where he is. I have no idea what is going on... Not one single clue to anything. For all I know he could have already murdered Ginny and -"

"Don't say that!" Hermione interrupted. "That's what's got you in this bad mood. Don't give up, there's still a chance."

"Not a very good one."

"If you believe you can do it then you will. But cramming yourself up in this place with no human contact and not taking care of yourself isn't helping any. How do you expect to defeat him in this state? You couldn't take down a flobberworm -with magic."

"Thanks for the encouragement."

"Come on," she said, pulling him up. "Go lie down. I'll get you something to eat."

"I'm fine, really." Harry said, but he headed for the stairs anyway. He did want to lie down... as he was climbing the stairs, he suddenly felt very dizzy. He grabbed onto the wall to brace himself, but it was too late. His knees gave out, and his head his against the edge of the stairs...

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End notages: I enjoy beating the crap out of Harry... XD


	22. All Alone

Notes: Hi! I didn't leave you. The link wasn't working for a while… dunno why…. anyway, onward with the story! We're almost done! Kinda happy and sad at the same time… **Swear word alert! **

This is a short one, to build up to the ending.

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The stone wall spun around, and on the other side was Ginny, shackled by her wrists and ankles. "Well, hello."

"Go to hell."

"You should be thanking me for not killing you."

"There's no reason for you to wait. Why not do it now?"

"I can't kill you - yet. You're the bait. Bait is never really effective if it's dead." Ginny laughed. "Hmm... I'm glad I amuse you."

"Harry will never fall for it."

"Oh really? He fell for it the last few times..."

"He's smarter now. He won't..." Now the other laughed.

"Smart? Oh yes, I knew he was smart the whole time. The problem is he needs to be heroic, and -"

"Don't you dare talk that way about Harry!"

"A bold statement from someone who is chained to a wall."

"Just wait - he's going to kick your ass."

"Yes, just like he was going to the last half a million times."

"Just wait, just you wait and see."

"Oh, I have been waiting. He hasn't shown up yet. I think he forgot about you."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No, he'd never -"

"Then where is he now?"

"Making a plan to come kill you."

"No, I can see him now. Horribly weak mind he has... He's asleep...That bushy haired girl is near him though. What's her name? Well anyway, it seems like he's already forgotten all about you."

"No! Harry loves me -"

"Does he? And how do you know?"

"I know! I don't need to tell you anything!"

"Then why do you continue to talk?"

"He'll come for me, I know he will. Just wait! He'll kill you!"

"Whatever you say." The wall spun back around...

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Harry nearly jumped into the air. He felt a hand on his chest that pushed him back down. It was Ron. "Easy there mate." They were in the living room of Grimmauld Place. Harry was on the couch and Hermione and Ron were nearby.

"How are you feeling Harry?" Hermione asked.

"What day is it?"

"Thursday." Ron said.

"April tenth." Hermione added. They were silent for a second, and then:

"I know where he has her." Harry said, staring at the ceiling trying to pinpoint exactly where his dream had taken place.

"You mean Ginny?" Ron asked.

"Yes." He kept thinking. Where was it? He had seen it before... "The Riddle house!" he said, sitting up quickly.

"The what?" Ron asked.

"Riddle as in Tom Riddle?" Hermione said absently, remembering where Harry was referring to.

"Yes. It was his parent's house or something. He was hiding there a few years ago... Of course. Why didn't I think of it before? It's so obvious." Harry was still thinking. Where did they have a stone wall in that house? In the dream he'd had years ago, he'd only seen an upstairs room and some hallways. Maybe it's in the basement, or that house where the muggle lived... I know it's the Riddle house. I know it is. It has to be...

"And she's still alive?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but he has her chained up."

"What about Neville and Parvati?" Hermione asked.

"Didn't see them, but I'd guess they have to be nearby too. We need to get there. Now."

"Don't be ridiculous, Harry," Hermione said. "We can't just burst in there."

"No, we're not bursting anywhere."

"Then what -?"

"For starters, you two aren't going."

"What!" They both said.

"And I plan to grab a few aurors to hold back the Death Eaters."

"Why aren't we going?" Hermione asked.

"You know why."

"And since when has that ever stopped us before?" Ron said.

"This time it's different."

"Different how? We've always been near death."

"And this time you won't be." He got up and headed for the stairs, going to change his clothes and grab anything that might be useful. He could hear the other two following him.

"You're not going without us." Hermione said crossly. Harry closed the door, making the excuse that he was changing - Ron pushed the door back and came in anyway. "Ron?" she said, obviously not wanting to invade Harry's privacy.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before Hermione." He closed the door and turned to Harry. "What's gotten into your head?"

"I don't want you two getting hurt."

"We've been over this a million times. You can't get rid of us." He stepped closer to Harry. "I want to save her just as much as you do, and maybe even more. I'm not going to let both of you get killed."

"No one is going to die, except for a few Death Eaters and Voldemort." Harry said absently, walking past Ron and thinking of any aurors that would want to help him.

"Stop being so damn heroic for once!"

"It's not called being heroic. It's called being in love. Imagine Hermione in Ginny's place - maybe then you'll get it."

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"It's a very far fetched idea, Harry." Lupin was saying.

"I know he's there. Trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that if he told you where he is, he's probably long gone by now."

"Remus has a point," Tonks said. "He probably has a hundred Death Eaters there, waiting for you, while he is somewhere far off waiting for them to drag you in."

"He has Ginny there."

"What about Neville and the Patil girl?"

"I don't know, but-"

"We can't just go raiding houses whenever we think we know something -" Lupin said.

"I know I know something! We need to get there now!"

"Calm down Harry," Lupin warned. Harry sighed and looked moodily at the floor. I should have just gone, he thought. I should have known they'd never believe me... "We need a better plan than -"

"You know what?" Harry said, standing up quickly. "Never mind. I should know by now not to ask for any help. The only person that has ever helped me was Dumbledore -".

"And look what happened to him." Harry stopped, wanting to strangle whoever had said that. No Harry, he told himself. There are more important things to kill. He ignored the comment and stormed out.


	23. Return of the Prince

Notes: I saw GoF! Ahh! Good movie... well anything with Dan in it is always a good movie... I think they went to fast though. They should have slowed down a bit on the important parts, like the end of the Yule Ball. It took me a while to realize that Hermione was crying, and then why she was crying. And the ending was way too hurried... but it was still great. No I didn't cry!

Anyway, I think I need to make this chapter longer because the last one was so short. I shall do my best. :)

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Harry walked back into Grimmauld Place. He had forgotten something that might be useful. Ron and Hermione were nowhere in the house. He ran upstairs quickly and grabbed the invisibility cloak from his old trunk.

As he closed the trunk, he spotted something else. An envelope... he knew what was in it, but no one else did. He pulled it out of the trunk. No one is going to find it in there, he thought. Harry took the envelope downstairs and set it on the kitchen table so that it would be easy to find. Then he left his house, locking the door for what would probably be the last time.

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It was dark now. Harry could see the Riddle house looming in the dark above the rest of the city. He thought it would be best to walk up to the house, rather than popping right next to it.

He walked through the town quickly. Only a few people were still out, and only a few lights were lit. He finally got to the base of the hill, the house looking down on him. Harry realized that he was shaking. Calm down Harry, he told himself. You can do this. You have to do this. He began walking up to the house.

Every noise made him jump. Stop it, he told himself. You're going to give yourself away. But still he felt as if someone were following him. He snuck up to the house and tried to look in a window. There was no light coming from inside. He looked up to the second floor. Somewhere up there a tiny light showing through...

Someone touched his shoulder. Harry spun around. A pale face with blue eyes met his. He stepped back, scared by how close the person had been. The person was hooded, clothed completely like a Death Eater. Harry whipped out his wand. The person laughed, and a piece of blond hair fell out of the hood. He lowered his wand.

"For crying out loud..." Harry said. "Do you have to scare me to death?"

"Death isn't my job. I'm not very good at it."

"I've noticed."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Do you want me to help you or kill you?"

"You want to help me?"

"Yes."

Harry stared for a moment. "Who are you and what did you do with Malfoy?"

"So what if I want to help you?"

"What happened to the big, bad, wait-until-my-father-hears-about-this, Death Eater that everyone loves?"

"I didn't ask for this, Potter!" Draco said defensively. "I didn't ask for this life. It took me until last year to figure out what was really going on."

"But you're still a Death Eater?"

"What other choice do I have?" Something moved in the shadows. Harry's eyes darted around, but Draco didn't budge. "Now that Dumbledore's gone, who else would protect me? Who else would believe me?"

"Welcome to my life." Harry said. Something moved again. "Is he in there?" Harry asked, motioning to the house.

"No. Neither is the little Weezlebee, for that matter."

"Where did he go?"

"I'm not in charge of that information, but I know who is." Malfoy turned around and looked at the shadow.

"Who is that?" Harry asked him. Malfoy laughed. "What? This is a trap, isn't it?" Malfoy didn't answer. "You've just been the diversion..."

"I'm no good at killing, but I am very good at diversions." Harry wanted to say something back, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead he looked around. Whoever was out there was coming closer. He raised his wand again, his hand shaking horribly.

Draco stepped aside. The figure came closer, and the small light from above shone on a man with a very greasy head. "You!" Harry said, moving back against the house.

"Yes, very observant of you. Glad to see you still remember me, Potter." Snape said. He came closer to Harry.

"Stay back!" Harry said, holding his wand higher. "Don't come any closer. I'll kill you."

Snape laughed. "Once again, Potter, you have searched and searched and come out with the wrong conclusion."

"What?"

"If we were going to drag you away and kill you, don't you think we would have done it by now?" Draco asked. "Why would we stand around and taunt you? Although it is fun..."

Harry was very confused. If they're not trying to kill me, then are they trying to help me? "Yes, we're trying to help you." Snape said. "Again your reasoning powers are astonishing." Wait, Harry thought. How did he -? Then he realized.After all this time, he hadnever even considered it, but it made sense...He's a Legilimens... _(legens - (Latin) a reader; mens - (Latin) mind) _"Yes, right once again. It's amazing. You've answered more correct questions in your head in two minutes than you did for six years in my class."

"That explains a lot." Harry said, not feeling so afraid anymore. "Where is he then? Since you know."

"What makes you so sure that I'd tell you?"

"You'll tell me or I'll kill you." Harry stepped closer to him, his wand very close to Snape's face. He realized that he had grown a lot in a year - he was nearly taller than Snape.

"No you won't. If you kill me then how will you know where to go?"

"I'll find my way."

"I doubt it."

Harry moved closer, nearly on top of Snape, his wand pressing into Snape's forehead. "He has my wife." Harry said slowly through clenched teeth, trying to control himself. "And you will tell me where he is, or I will rip your throat out - without magic." Snape stepped backward, for once actually looking a bit scared of Harry. "Pensezfort!" Harry screamed. A yellow bolt shot out from his wand and hit Snape in the forehead. Snape was thrown backward, and Harry jumped on top of him. "Where is he!"

"The old orphanage." Snape said, staring up at Harry. "Where he was before he went to Hogwarts. It's abandoned now, so -"

"Thank you." Harry said, stepping off of Snape and walking away.

"Where did you learn that spell?" Snape asked.

"I thought you'd recognize it," Harry said. "Since you're the one who made it up, Mr. Prince."

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Harry popped onto a dark street. The orphanage was just down the street. There were lights on inside. He was about to walk down the street when he heard another pop behind him.

"Potter!" Draco said.

"What do you want now?"

"You can't just run in there -"

"I wasn't going to run anywhere. I planned on walking."

"You'll never make it past the Death Eaters."

"I don't care about the Death Eaters."

"If you really love her then you would." Harry turned. Why would Malfoy care about who he loved? Why would he care about him in general?

"Are you sure you're really Malfoy?"

"Shut up. I just want you to kill him so I can get away from those idiots. And since you don't have your mudblood and Weezlebee with you -"

"Says who?" They heard. Harry's heart stopped for a minute. No, you idiots... Why didn't you listen?"We wouldn't leave Harry even if he locked us in a house." Ron was saying.

"With his will on the table." Hermione added. They put their arms around Harry's shoulders. "We'll always be there, no matter what."

"Besides, we need to pay you back for all the times you saved our skins."

"Wonderful." Draco said sarcastically.

"So what's the plan?" Ron asked.

"There isn't one." Harry said.

"Good thing I came," Draco said.

"Why?" Hermione asked. "What help would you give us? Help us to get killed faster?"

"You little -"

"If he even says mudblood I swear I'll -"

"Enough!" Harry said, stepping between them. "I won't have any of you here if all you do is argue. Malfoy's trying to help us."

"Correction - I'm trying to help you, not those two."

"You insignificant little - !"

"Stop it!" Ron said, turning Hermione away from Malfoy. "We're not helping Harry at all. We need to work together just for tonight and then we can all go back to hating each other."

Hermione sighed. "You're right. Harry, I'm - Harry? Where -?"Harry had stepped away from all of them and was looking at the orphanage, trying to guess where the best spot to enter was... "Harry? We're sorry. We won't argue anymore, at least not until the end of tonight. Right?" She looked to the other two, who nodded. "So what are we going to do?"

"I have no clue."

"Here." Draco handed a bottle to Harry. He had another one just like it in his hands.

"What's this?"

"Apparently I'm the only one who actually thought of a plan. Come over here, in the alley, so they can't see us."

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Notes: Cliffie! Wooo! I just realized this story's almost over. :tear: But the sequels are always good:wink wink:

More on ligilimency: www. hp- lexicon. org/ magic / legilimency. html (take out the spaces, it wouldn't let me post it regularly)


	24. The End

Notes: Attention all Harry Potter fans! Send Christmas notes to Dan, Rupert, Emma, or JK through my forums, BTV School. Go here: beyond theveil site.tk (take out the spaces - it won't let me post the regular url) and go to the board titled Goblet of Gifts. I really need people to participate in this so join in if you can! Thanks!

Story notes: Snape will play a part later. You won't see it right away because it's not directly Harry's experience - he has to hear about it later. That happens a lot in this chapter, but I'll clear everything up in the chapters to follow. And now for the climax... The beginning of the chapter will be confusing, but just go with it.

Bad word alert.

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Draco dragged Harry in the old orphanage by the collar of his shirt. The Death Eaters stopped to look. Some gasped in total shock. Others congratulated Draco. Snape walked behind him, kicking Harry every so often. Harry was dragged into a back room with an old stonewall that was collapsing at some points.

"Oh my Draco. I see you've brought me a present," a slithery voice said. Voldemort was sitting in the center of the room on a raised platform with large stairs on all four sides, made of the same stone as the walls.

"Yes," Draco said, bowing to the Dark Lord and then throwing Harry onto the stairs, being very careful to avoid Voldemort's eyes. "I found him outside and thought it would please you to see him."

"Is this true, Severus?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, my lord," Snape said. "Draco caught him all on his own." The two of them looked at each other for a moment, both trying to read the other's mind.

"Very good Draco," Voldemort said. "I must remember to reward you. You may leave." Draco and Snape turned to leave. "Not you, Draco. You could use a lesson in death, and you just dragged me in the perfect example." Snape left and Draco walked around the raised platform to watch from the back.

Harry watched himself being tortured by Voldemort. That Harry wasn't the real Harry, of course. The real Harry was standing behind Voldemort, polyjuiced to be Draco, and the real Draco was changed to Harry. But Harry couldn't think of that. If Voldemort suddenly decided to read his mind, the plan would be ruined, and then what?

Draco was pulling off the act perfectly. He fought back as hard as he could, but was always shot down by Voldemort. It went on like this for a while: Voldemort hexing Draco (as Harry) over and over, and Draco trying helplessly to fight back. Finally he gave up and sank to his knees in front of Voldemort, the hood of his cloak falling over his head.

Suddenly the room became blurry. The potion was wearing off quickly. Harry pulled out his second pair of glasses, which he had thankfully had the foresight to bring along.

"Draco, pay attention." Voldemort was saying, pointing his wand at Draco but not turning around. "It is always the way of the courteous killer to ask the victim if he has a last request. So, Potter, anything to say for yourself?"

"Yes." Draco said, his voice still sounding like Harry's. Harry could now feel a severe burning on his forehead, a sure sign that the transformation was complete. Okay Harry, he told himself. This is it...

"And what is it?" Voldemort said, becoming impatient.

Draco raised his head, allowing the hood to fall. Voldemort stumbled for a second, a little shocked at the transformation. Draco glared at him. "Go to hell!" Draco yelled as loud as he could. Voldemort spun around to look at what used to be Draco.

"Avada kedavra!" Harry screamed. The spell hit Voldemort in the right shoulder and sent him falling backward, but not killing him. Harry suddenly felt very dizzy, but he shook his head and it passed. Voldemort lied there for a second, and then got up slowly. He went over to Draco, who hadn't moved.

"You little -"

"Hit him again!" Draco said.

"Avada kedavra!" Harry said again, and again Voldemort fell backward, still not dead. Why won't he die?

"You have to mean it Potter," Draco said, "or else you'll just keep knocking him backward. You have to -"

"Oh, shut up." Voldemort said. He flicked his wand toward Draco. Suddenly Draco was sent flying through the air. He collided with the stonewall, causing some of it to fall off, and then landed in a heap on the floor. Voldemort stood up again and walked slowly toward Harry.

Okay, stay calm, Harry told himself. You can do this. Just think about everything he's done to you. He tried his hardest to get angry at Voldemort, but fear overcame anger every time.

"So, we meet again Harry." Voldemort was saying. "If that's who you really are." Come on Harry, he said to himself. This is your chance. Why did you choose now to be afraid?

"Avada kedavra!" Harry tried again, and again it didn't work.

"That is getting so annoying." Voldemort said, getting up yet again. "Didn't that old fool Dumbledore teach you anything useful? You can't kill me! I can't die!"

"Really? All the horcruxes I have piled up at home say differently."

Voldemort glared at him. "You couldn't get them all though. Two of them are with me, and only I know where they are at."

"Well, let's see. I got the diary, the book, the cup, the locket... Dumbledore got the ring... and if you were paying any attention you would know not to trust your Death Eaters with information like that."

"What?"

"You might want to see where dear Severus has gone. We both know he doesn't like hanging around with the other Death Eaters."

"Snape doesn't know where they're at."

"Yes he does. You just told him, before he left." Voldemort stared at him, trying to read his mind, and Harry stared right back, knowing he wasn't going to see anything. "I'm a lot better at occulmency than I used to be."

"Avada kedavra!" Voldemort and Harry said at the same time. Their wands locked, just as they had the last time they had tried to duel. Harry let go quickly, sending both spells into the floor.

Before Voldemort could realize what had happened, Harry hit him twice in a row, making both of them very dizzy. Harry fell to his knees, unable to stay balanced. Why is this happening? Harry wondered, holding his head to try to make the room stop spinning. I want to kill him, not myself.

Voldemort had now stood up and was standing over Harry. He flicked his wand again, sending Harry flying just as Draco had only a few minutes before. Harry felt something in his left leg crack, and he fell to the floor, in more pain and more dizzy than ever. "Oh, does your head hurt?" Voldemort asked. "Poor baby... I should be nice and make your pain stop. But, then again, when have I ever been nice to someone who wants to kill me? Cruc-!"

Before he could get out the rest of the spell, another counteracted it. "That's not very nice," they heard. Harry's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He looked up quickly, ignoring the dizziness. Ginny was standing over him, her wand pointed at Voldemort.

"Avada kedavra," Harry said again, making Voldemort fall back yet again, and making Harry so dizzy he was almost sick. Ginny knelt down next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't leave you behind."

"Well you have to. Get out now before -"

"No! I won't."

"Ginny -"

"I'd rather die with you then live knowing I left you alone to get slaughtered."

"Did they get the other horcruxes?" Harry asked quickly. Voldemort began to get back up.

"I think so."

"Did they or didn't they?"

"Yes they did."

"Then why can't I fucking kill him!"

"Because I can't die." Voldemort said, advancing toward them. "How many times must I tell you?" Harry stood up as best as he could and pushed Ginny behind him. Voldemort laughed. "Ah, young love. So touching." Ginny stepped out slightly, as if to protect Harry as well. "No, no young missy. If anyone is going to be heroic it has to be the hero. Unfortunately I don't see one here, but seeing as your so willing to act like a hero, then you should be willing to die like a hero."

Ginny stepped in front of Harry with a very determined look on her face. "Ginny!" Harry said. He tried to push her back, but it was too late. Voldemort jerked his arm violently, flicking his wand in the same way he had already done twice that night, sending her flying across the room and slamming into the wall. She dropped to the ground, and part of the stonewall fell on top of her.

Harry's mind wanted to scream, but his body wasn't getting the message. He stared at her for a few seconds, hoping and praying for her to get up, but the only motion was from the blood that was slowly leaking out of her head.

"The hero's weakness," Voldemort said, now standing back on his stone platform. "Yes, I had guessed it right, as I usually always do."

Harry turned to him slowly. He walked up the stone stairs, half dragging his left leg. His entire body shook - not from fear, but from anger.

He wanted to say something to Voldemort, to get out all of his feelings about him. He wanted to say: you killed my parents, my friend, my godfather, and my father figure. You hurt my friends and family. You hurt my wife. And now it is my turn to hurt you. Die you fucking bastard! He wanted to say all this, but only two words actually came out.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" An intense green light shot out of his wand, making him fall backward onto the stairs. A violent pain shot through his head and all down his body. Harry screamed. The pain was too much for him, and he almost blacked out. But then, just as suddenly as it had happened, the pain stopped, and Harry was left lying on the floor gasping for breath trying his hardest to stay conscious.

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Harry looked at the stone ceiling, wishing more than anything that the pain in his leg would stop. He lifted himself onto his elbows. On the stone platform above him was what used to be Voldemort, dead at last.

Harry would have laughed had the pain not been so bad. He looked to his left leg. His pants were soaked in blood. He rolled back the pant leg slowly. His left shinbone was sticking out of his leg just below his knee. Harry turned his head away. He needed to stop the bleeding...

Bleeding, Harry thought. Ginny...He turned his head quickly to where Ginny was lying. He thought for a second that it all had been a dream, but it had not. She hadn't moved, and the pool of blood around her increased by the second.

No, Harry thought. No, no, no. He flipped himself onto his stomach and pulled himself to her with his arms, ignoring the pain in his leg. No, no. It can't be. No, never.

He splashed through her blood and pulled her head into his arms. Her skull had cracked just above her right ear, and her blood dripped through his fingers. Stop the bleeding, Harry thought. Save what blood she has left, if there is any. He set her back down gently and then pulled off his shirt, wrapping it as best as he could around her head. But the blood still continued to drip, soaking the shirt quickly.

He pulled her closer to him. He needed to get help, quickly. But he couldn't walk, and no one would hear his screams through the stonewall. The others were supposed to be out there fighting the Death Eaters, but they should have been in to help him by now.

He looked down at Ginny. Her pulse was weakening... He was losing her. "No," he told her. "No. Don't you leave me here. No! I love you too much to let you die. Don't leave me." Harry screamed again, not from the pain in his leg, but from the pain in his heart. He glanced down at his leg. There was no point in stopping the bleeding now. If Ginny's not going to live, then I'm certainly not going to live either.

Harry lied down next to Ginny, holding her close to him. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he nuzzled his face into her blood soaked hair, waiting for the darkness to come and end everything.

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End notes: The story's not over yet. Did I make you cry? Good, that was the point of it. Don't forget about the Goblet of Gifts!


	25. Reawakening

Notes: I thought I'd leave you wondering for a few days... Harry can't die! Then how would I write a sequel? It's kinda hard to write a sequel without the main character. But anyway, on with the story.

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Harry felt a violent stinging on his forehead, and he jerked away from it. "Hold on there laddy." Harry opened his eyes, blinded for a second by the light, and saw a very Irish man standing over him. Harry wondered where he was, and what exactly this man was doing to his forehead. "There ya go," the man said. "Nasty little cut ya got up there. Now, let's see that leg."

Harry looked around. Hospital wallpaper - I must be in St. Mungo's. But what -? Then a horrible pain shot up his left leg, making him cry out in agony. "Nope, you won't be walkin' on this fer a while. It's healin' alright though." Harry was about to ask the man what had happened, but he had already left the room. He lied there, trying to remember, but the pain from his leg clouded his thoughts.

A different man entered the room. This one was taller, with dark hair and darker skin. "Well, look who's up," the man said. "I'm your healer, Mr. Anderson." ((Matrix fans everywhere can have a good laugh.)) The man held his hand out, and Harry shook it. "Is that leg hurting you?"

"Just a tad," Harry said.

"I thought so. Here, drink this." He handed Harry a little lime green bottle. Harry drank it. "That should make you feel better. I'll be back later. If you need anything there is a nurses' station right outside your door - just call and someone should come."

The man left Harry alone. The potion took affect immediately - soon Harry couldn't feel his body, let alone his leg. He lie there with his eyes closed, honestly wanting to think about what had happened, but his brain wouldn't let him. After some time the potion wore off enough to allow him to think more clearly, and he opened his eyes.

Hermione was standing over him. She handed him his glasses. "Hey," she said. "How're you feeling?"

"I don't know. I can't feel anything to tell you how I feel."

"That's alright. You stay in happy land. I just thought I'd stop by, to see if you were still breathing."

Harry breathed in deeply. "Yep, still breathing." Hermione laughed. "How's everyone else?" Hermione looked a little reluctant to tell him. Harry could understand why. He had remembered what happened sometime when he was in happy land, but his brain was too fuddled to care. It doesn't matter anyway, Harry thought. I know she's okay. I can feel it.

"Well," Hermione said, "Ron's a little banged up. Well, a lot banged up actually, but he'll survive. And Ginny - I haven't been in to see her myself, but Mrs. Weasley has been okay, so I guess that's a sign that she's okay too."

"What about Neville and Parvati?"

"They're fine. Parvati is really shaken up - Neville was actually really brave for once. He even fought off a few Death Eaters all on his own."

"That's good... Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"See how Ginny is. I need to make sure she's alright."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Hermione left and the healer from before entered.

"I take it that potion worked." Anderson asked. "Let's see that leg of yours." He lifted the sheets. "I need to take off the bandages, so it might hurt a bit."

"What happened to it?" Harry asked. "I mean, bones heal in a few hours, so why's it still hurting?"

"You sound like you've gone through this a few times before."

"A few, yes."

"Well, your tibia - shin bone - broke just below your knee cap. The lower half came out of your skin, while the piece that broke off pushed down onto the inside of your knee. That knocked your femur - thigh bone - out of place slightly, which also wrenched your knee. So you pulled a lot of ligaments and tendons as well. It's going to take a while for this to heal."

"How long is a while?"

"A few weeks. Potions can only fix so much. But it's healing well." The healer re-bandaged his leg. "I'll have a nurse bring you in more potions for the pain in a bit."

"Do you have a red-headed girl as a patient?" Harry asked, starting to wonder where Hermione had gone to.

"A red-headed boy, yes, but no girl. Oh, you mean the one that came in with you? No, no I don't deal with head trauma - just the arms and legs."

He must mean Ron, Harry thought. "The boy, is he okay?"

"Yes. Bad puncture wounds, very deep... but he'll live." Puncture wounds? Harry thought. How -? "Now you just relax and rest. You're going to be in this bed for a while, so get comfortable now."

"The red-headed girl - I need to see her."

"What?"

"To make sure she's alright."

"Sorry, you aren't going anywhere for a while." A nurse came in with more of the potion, sending Harry back into la-la land.

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When he woke up, he was still alone. Hermione was no where to be seen, which made him more anxious than ever. She's probably with Ron, he thought. Figures - I get them together and now I can't get to one without getting them both. A nurse came in to check Harry's pulse and other such functions, and he asked her about Ginny.

"Oh, no, I haven't been in there myself, but I've talked with the other nurses about her. Such a bad injury... Oh, but she'll be fine dear, don't worry." She added quickly after seeing the distressed look on Harry's face. "Some of the best healers in the world work here - if they can't fix it then I don't know who can. Plus, if she were really that bad off, they'd have her in intensive care, which they don't. She's just down the hall." The nurse finished and left, leaving Harry feeling worse than he had been before.

Eventually Hermione came back. "Sorry Harry," she said. "I came back and you were asleep, so I -"

"It's okay. You were taking care of poor Ronnykins." Hermione looked slightly insulted and was going to say something back, but Harry changed the subject. "What about Ginny?"

"When I went past, there were four healers in there, so I really couldn't get in. There wasn't a panic or anything - they were just calmly talking, so I guess everything is okay." Sure, Harry thought. Everyone just has a hole in the side of their head. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look well."

"I've been massively drugged for at least two days. How good do you expect me to look?"

"Two and a half weeks, actually."

"What?"

"You were out for two and a half weeks. For a while there they thought you'd never wake up. But you still don't look well."

"I'm fine. Trust me."

The argument was stopped when Anderson entered the room. "Everything okay?" he asked.

"Peachy," Harry said. Suddenly they heard something being wheeled down the hallway. A bed came past the door, with several healers around it. As he looked, Harry caught a glimpse of red hair on the person in the bed. He nearly jumped out of his bed. Pain ran through his left side.

"Harry!" Hermione said, grabbing his shoulder to hold him still.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Anderson. "Where're they taking her?"

"Surgery," Anderson said plainly, as if it wasn't important.

"What?"

"Surgery. Nothing major though."

"How is surgery not major? I didn't even know surgery was used in magical medicine."

"Sometimes it is. Potions can only fix so much."

"So something's wrong with her?"

"Harry, calm down." Hermione said.

"No, I -"

"She's right Harry. Your body is too weak to handle that kind of stress. You could -"

"I don't care. A herd of healers just takes her into surgery and no one is going to bother to tell me what's wrong?"

"They didn't want to upset you." Hermione said quietly.

"Too late for that."

"Harry, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down, or we will make you calm down." Anderson said. A nurse entered the room to see what all the talk was about, and Anderson whispered something to her quickly.

"Not until someone tells me what's going on." Harry said angrily.

"Harry, really," Hermione said, "you should calm down. Everything will be okay."

"All I want to know is why she needs surgery. How hard is that to answer?" Anderson started to say something, but Harry interrupted him. "Don't tell me to calm down. I have the right to be upset."

"Yes you do," said Anderson. "But your body can't handle it. I don't think you realize how weak you really are."

"You're not well at all." Hermione said. "You should -"

"Why can't anyone answer me?"

"It's nothing major Harry. I think it has something to do with her skull - it's not growing back right or something."

The nurse came back. Anderson whispered to her,and she walked up next to Harry. He felt a prick in his arm. The nurse had injected him with something. Healers use needles? Harry thought. "What -?" But he never got to finish the question, because he suddenly became very tired and fell over onto his side.


	26. The Hero's Saviors

Notes: I know that last one was kind of pointless and boring, but everyone was having a panic attack because they thought Harry died which isn't true... just thought I'd clear that up. This one's short but it gets you up to date - more interesting stuff next chapter!

Anyone who knows html and would be willing to help me with my site, please let me know! We need to get a site up soon and there are currently only two of us working on it, so we could use the help! Also, any graphics would be great.

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Harry didn't talk to the healers or the nurses much after that. In fact, he usually didn't answer any questions that required more than a yes or no answer. He did talk to Hermione though, and she started to visit him a little more often after the incident with the needle. He asked her again and again if she had seen Ginny, and every time she said not yet.

Not yet? Harry wondered. Is it a week long surgery? What the heck is taking so long? Then he thought that something bad might have happened, and she didn't want to tell him because she thought he'd have a breakdown or something. Well, Harry did admit (only to himself though) that he could get through most things, but losing Ginny would be a completely different ball game. But it's just a surgery, right? If muggles can do it, then it should be easy for anyone with a wand.

"She's alright Harry." Hermione said. "I can tell."

"How?"

"Because they would have sent Mrs. Weasley to live with our old buddy Gilderoy. She almost lost it when Ron got hurt before, remember? So if she's okay, then I'd guess that all her babies are okay too."

"So does that mean Ron's okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. He likes to act like he's dying, but he's not."

"How'd he get 'puncture wounds'? Anderson said something about it before."

"Oh, well, he was... well..." she stammered.

Harry sighed. "Hermione, just tell me. The only thing you could say to depress me is that Ginny died, which according to what you just told me isn't true at all."

"Okay, if you're sure you want to hear it. But I have to start before that, back when were discussing the plan."

"The plan?"

"Yes. You don't remember it?"

"No, I don't. I just remember something about Ginny and a wall, and then Voldemort, and something with Malfoy..."

"Okay, then I'd better start at the very beginning:

"You found out that they were in the old orphanage. Ron and I followed you. So, when you and Malfoy were trying to make some kind of plan, we finally caught up. We argued about it for a bit, then Malfoy told us his plan. He polyjuiced you to be him and him to be you, and then you went inside with Snape. Ron and I were supposed to wait for a signal from Snape and then send for the aurors, so that we could get through the Death Eaters and then to Ginny, Neville, and Parvati.

"Well, Snape took a long time. Ron started to get anxious, as he usually does in those kinds of situations. But Snape did look out at us eventually, and I called the Order. Ron sent one as well, and I think Snape did too, so that they would know it was urgent. They popped up, and we told them that you were already in there and what we were supposed to do. Of course they didn't listen. You told us not to come in to help you until all the Death Eaters were taken care of and until we had Ginny and Neville and Parvati, but they tried over and over to get in that room with you. They couldn't - I think the door sealed from the inside. Lupin nearly tore the wall down himself.

"I really don't know what happened to you in there, but I know what happened outside. The Order got most of the Death Eaters, and Ron and I snuck off to get the other three. They weren't hard to find - they were tied up pretty good though. We got them down and started to sneak back out. Parvati bolted straight for the door, but Ginny and Neville wondered where you were. We told them that you were with Voldemort and you didn't want anyone to help you. That was good enough for Neville, but not for Ginny. She didn't want to leave without you.

"She grabbed Ron's wand and sprinted back for the door. We lost her in the Death Eaters and aurors. Neville tried to help us find her, but you know it really wasn't that easy. I don't know how she got in that room - Like I said, the door you went in by was sealed from the inside.

"By now all but a few of the Death Eaters were caught, and the Order was busy keeping them in line. Ron was really upset. He thought something bad must have happened to you because it shouldn't have taken that long. I told him over and over that you told us not to help you, but you know how he is. And besides, Ginny was in there somewhere. He swore that he heard you scream (although I don't know how he heard anything through that wall) and that he saw a green light. He kept looking at the wall for any way to get in there.

"And then... I don't know how, but the door cracked open. We pushed on it as hard as we could, and eventually it opened. And inside -"

She stopped for a second and looked down at her hands, about to burst into tears. Harry could only guess at what she had seen; he couldn't remember it himself.

"There was blood... everywhere... And you... weren't... breathing... And... And Ginny..." Harry sat up as best as he could, and she came up to him and finished crying on his shoulder. When she was done she sat back down, and then continued:

"I started doing CPR on you, and Ron started taking care of Ginny. Then, the last few Death Eaters came into the room. I guess they thought their master would help them. When they saw that he was dead, they assumed that you had done it (as they had seen both of us outside before) and tried to attack you. We disarmed them all. They panicked - Bellatrix rushed out with a knife. She tried to go for you, but Ron stepped in the way..."

I guess that answers my question, Harry thought. "How many times did she get him?"

"Four, I think. Maybe five. I wasn't really counting. Twice in the chest, once in the shoulder, once in the hip - he's lucky that he's not a muggle. He would have never survived. The aurors came in to get them. I, well, I punched Bellatrix a few times to get her off of Ron... She got me too, on my arm, but it's just a scratch." She lifted her sleeve up to show him. There was a little scratch just below her elbow. "And that's about it."

Harry made a mental note to say something to Ron about that. Saving a life at least deserves a thank you. Hermione was quiet now and looked a little anxious. "Go back with him."

"Oh, no, I -"

"Just go. I know you want to be there more than you want to be here."

"Okay, but I'll come back later." She got up and headed for the door.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. I mean - for everything."

"Anytime Harry. You'd do the same for me."

-----------------------------

Notes: Aww... Idn't that sweet? But hey, there's still stuff to wait for. Like, is Ginny okay? And what happened to Draco and Snape? And those horcruxes that Snape was supposed to get, did he really get them? All this and more coming up. Right now I need to go to work... please don't forget about my site! We need help so badly! Our host is giving us two weeks to have a site up by and I'd like to have something nice by then. With only two of us that's kind of hard. If you can help at all please let me know!


	27. Angel's Homecoming

Notes: I have a question for all yous: I am going to write a sequel with Harry and his children and all that, but should I write one in between this story and that one? It'd be slightly less exciting and with a lot less death threats on Harry, but it could be neat... I think that'd be the only short story I'd ever write... but anyway, tell me what you think. Now, onward! There's still at least two more chapters.

Edit: Happy 2006 ya'll!

Edit again: I saw Phantom of the Opera live today! Quite awesome.

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Harry was still in the hospital. He felt fine, but apparently there was something still wrong. He got tired a lot (which Harry didn't think much of because it's hard to sleep in a hospital), but other than that he was fine. It had been nearly a week since he had woken up - a total of three weeks in all.

Anderson came in one morning. "When can I get out of here?" Harry asked.

"Soon."

"How soon?"

"Very soon."

Harry sighed. Thank you Mr. Helpful. "Why did I have to be here for this long? I'm not hurt that badly."

"No, not physically, although that leg might take some time before you get used to it again. Your body has been very weak. I wanted to make sure you were okay before I sent you home. Don't want you coming back because you fainted or something."

"But I feel okay."

"That doesn't mean you are okay. The human body has amazing ways to numb itself from the pain. I was looking over your records, and I see that you had a bad flu not long ago."

"So?"

"So, that explains why you're so weak. We thought it might be something with the medicine, like you were allergic to it or something. And after all this time it isn't your body that's the problem - it's your magic." Harry raised his eyebrows. What does magic have to do with any of this? Anderson explained: "The magical person's body is more difficult to deal with than a muggle's. If for some reason the magic isn't working properly then the whole body can be thrown off. For younger people it usually isn't a problem, but for older people it can be. They get so used to having magic with them all the time that they get thrown out of balance if it suddenly disappears."

"But I'm not old."

"No, but after that flu... Yes, you did recover from it somewhat, but it takes the body a few months to get all of its magic back in working order. The killing curse is a hard one to do, even for experienced wizards, and from what I've been told you had to do it several times."

"So you think that the flu and the curse is what's made me so tired?"

"Yes, exactly. And we're just keeping you here in case something goes wrong."

"But nothing has gone wrong, and I feel fine, so why can't I leave?"

"Here." Anderson handed him his wand and stepped back. "Take this quill out of my hand." He set a white quill on the palm of his hand and held it out toward Harry.

"Accio quill," Harry said, but the quill didn't move. "Accio quill," he said a little more assertively. The quill twitched a bit. "Accio quill!" Nothing. Why can't I do it?

"You see?" Anderson said, setting the quill back down.

For the first time in a while, Harry felt scared. He had been able to summon things many times, sometimes when he was almost dead. What if he had messed up his magic so badly that it...? "You don't think that it - I mean, my magic -"

"Oh no. It's just tired. No need to worry. You know what? I'll make you a deal. You can get out early if you promise not to use this" he pulled Harry's wand from his hand "for two more weeks. And if you still can't do anything after those two weeks then you have to come back, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"I'll have them bring in clothes for you."

------------------------------------------------------

About an hour later Harry was ready to leave the hospital. Anderson had given Harry's wand to Mrs. Weasley, so that he wouldn't be tempted to use it. A nurse had brought him crutches, because he couldn't walk on his leg for long distances. He was ready to get out of there, finally, but before he did he had someone to see.

Ron had gone home two days before, but Ginny was still there. Harry wasn't allowed to see her, though. Mrs. Weasley told him not to worry, that she was coming home in a day or so too, and that everything was okay. She's fine, he told himself. Besides, it'll be better to be with her once she comes home. Then she won't have a swarm of healers around her all the time.

There was a car waiting for them outside, since Harry obviously couldn't apparate. Unfortunately, every reporter in Europe was also waiting for them. They must not be allowed in the hospital, Harry thought, so they waited outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, a wave of camera flashes almost blinded him. Every reporter jumped on him, asking what his comments were or how it felt to be the boy that lived again or what his plans were now... Harry didn't answer any of them. Mrs. Weasley led him to the car. The reporters followed, asking questions through the windows and taking more pictures.

"Out of the way, you idiots," Harry heard. Bill was driving the car. "I will run you over with this thing. Too bad the flying car was trashed - we could just fly over them." Harry laughed. It felt really good to be out of that hospital.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ron was lying on a couch, his head on Hermione's lap. When they saw Harry they moved a bit so that he could sit as well. "Hello stranger," Ron said.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked.

"Fine, just a bit tired."

"Are you hungry at all, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I am." Ron said quietly.

"We know," Hermione said.

"Yeah," Harry said, getting back up. He hated staying in one place after nearly a month of lying in a hospital bed. Ron and Hermione followed. Bill suddenly went running upstairs, and Mrs. Weasley followed. Fred and George were in the kitchen, cutting vegetables.

"There he is!" George said.

"Tell us Harry, how does it feel to be the awesome, amazing, spectacular, really cool eighth wonder of the world?" Fred asked, shoving a chunk of broccoli in Harry's face like it were a microphone. Harry just stared at them.

"Please sir," George said, shoving a carrot at him in the same way, "your public has the right to know."

"What about this girl of yours?"

"Yes, when's the wedding?"

"Who will you invite?"

"When's the baby coming?"

"Both of you stop it," Hermione said. "Those are meant for dinner, not to be shoved up Harry's nose."

"For your information," George said, "broccoli can be used as a very effective decongestant - if applied correctly." Hermione glared at them, and Harry and Ron laughed. They all stopped though, because Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen.

"Goodness, Fleur," she said under her breath. "If I had known being a grandmother would be this much of a pain I wouldn't have -" But she stopped and turned back around. A different sound was coming from upstairs - a baby crying, of course, but not just one.

"Twins?" Harry said after she had left again.

"Yep," George said.

"Runs in the family," Fred said, looking very proud.

"I take it there not too quiet?"

"Why do you think we volunteered to cut vegetables without magic?"

"The one sleeps all the time. The other doesn't - any noise you make that one goes off and wakes the other one up." George explained.

"Poor Bill. No wonder he jumped at the chance to leave for a second," said his twin.

"The adults are more annoying than the babies," Ron said. "The way they talk to them - if I ever have kids I'm not bringing them here."

"Oh, yes you will," Hermione said.

"Yeah, probably." Harry stared at them for a second. For once, they weren't arguing. He couldn't believe it - Fred and George being helpful, Ron and Hermione being quiet - it was like the world had turned upside-down during the time that he had been in the hospital.

"How old are they?" Harry asked.

"A month and a week, or something like that," Ron said.

"A month, two dayz, and fourty-zeven minutes," Fleur said, entering the kitchen. "'Allo 'Arry. Good to zee you back."

"How's it going?" Harry asked.

"Oh, it iz good. I juzt need to get avay from ze crying for a momont."

"Can't say we blame you," Fred said, staring at the potato he was cutting.

"Boyz, and girl," she added, looking to Hermione, "thankz for being zo quiet. It helpz a lot." The crying started again, and Fleur turned quickly and ran back upstairs.

"And to think we only stopped by to say hello," George said.

"If we had known what we were getting into," Fred said, looking at the pile in front of him and then up at the ceiling.

-----------------------------------------------

The car was parked outside again. Harry knew where they were going without asking anyone. "Can I go?" he asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Sorry, Harry, but I think it would be better if you stayed here. We won't be too long."

"But -"

"You should stay here," Bill said, quickly heading for the door. "She might need to lie down in the back seat, which is easier if no one else is there." Harry stood there, watching them leave. He wanted to just run and jump into the car, but that would never happen - he wasn't going to be running anywhere for a long time.

"Come on Harry," Hermione said from across the room. "Come sit. We'll wait together." Harry went and sat next to her on a couch. Ron was in a chair across from them.

"Want to play chess?" Ron asked. Harry didn't answer, but Ron magic-ed the board and pieces to them anyway. "I love magic... Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to play?"

"Sure." Harry wanted to play, but he couldn't concentrate. Ron beat him three times in a row in about that many minutes.

"Harry? Hello?" Ron waved his hand in front of Harry's face. "You in there?"

"No."

"Just relax," Hermione said. "She'll be here soon. No sense in getting yourself all stressed out."

"It's not that." Harry mumbled.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know. I just - don't feel like playing chess right now. Sorry." He got up and crutched into the kitchen. He just wanted to be alone.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, following him.

"I guess."

"You guess? So is that yes or no?"

"Physically I'm fine. Well, besides that." He motioned to his leg.

"Are you sad?"

"Not really. I kind of - don't feel anything. Just a little depressed I suppose."

"Depressed about what?"

"If I find out I'll let you know."

"It's not about Ginny, is it? Because you know she won't blame you for anything."

"No, I'm happy about that. It's something else."

"Well, if you figure it out, you can come talk to me. Or Ron, even. He might be a buffoon but he can listen when he feels like it."

---------------------------------------------

Harry sat at the kitchen table and studied the grain of the wood. It was old and worn out - it reminded him of the table at Grimmauld Place. Speaking of which, he needed to get back there. If I'm going to live long enough to use it I might as well make it livable, he thought. Plus a dirty old house is no place for a lady...

Suddenly there was the sound of tires outside. Harry would have jumped up if he could, but it's hard to jump up with one leg. By the time he got to the living room the front door was already open. And there she was - walking on her own, with a little balance help from Mrs. Weasley, but still in a much better condition than he'd thought she would be in. She didn't see him, or if she did she didn't say anything. Mrs. Weasley helped her to a couch and told her to stay there until she prepared her room. Bill went upstairs quietly.

The two of them were alone in the room. Ron and Hermione had disappeared long ago. Harry came up to her quietly. She was lying on her side, with the bad side of her head up. He noticed that they had cut her hair - she looked like a red-headed Tonks - but at the moment he didn't care. He was just glad to see her.

He sat down on the floor in front of her, as he couldn't exactly stoop down or kneel. Then he looked at her - her eyes were closed, and he didn't want to disturb her. But she opened her eyes and smiled when she realized it was him. She reached out and touched his face. "Hey baby," she said quietly. Harry smiled back, grabbing her hand. "I missed you."

"I missed you more."

"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley said, coming back downstairs. "Come on." She helped Ginny up (Harry scooted out of the way and then used the couch and a crutch to pull himself up). "Quietly now. We've finally got them to sleep."

"The babies?" Ginny said. "Oh, I've wanted to see them so badly! I -" she stopped, realizing that Harry was still by the couch. She turned to him. "Aren't you coming?"

"Uh - yeah. I'm coming. Slowly."

"What color is their hair? Red or blond? I have a bet with Fred that both will be blond - he thought that one would be red and one blond, but-" Harry didn't hear the rest of it because he was too far behind. Going up stairs... another thing that's hard to do with one leg...

-------------------------------------------------------------

When he finally got to her room she was lying in her bed, on the same side as she had been on the couch. Mrs. Weasley had already left the room. "Come on," Ginny said to him, touching the open spot next to her.

"You sure your mum's going to be okay with this?" he asked, sliding onto her bed.

"It doesn't matter. Lie down." She pulled on his shoulder and he slipped down slowly, mostly because of the leg. When he was on his back she came closer and put her head against his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He leaned his head on top of hers. Yes, he had definitely missed this. "He said you'd never come."

"What?"

"Voldemort. He said you'd never come for me. But I told him he was wrong. I knew he was wrong."


	28. Credit

It was morning. The sun had just come up. Harry and Ginny were lying in bed. He looked over at her and wondered: why did her family let them stay like that? Before if they sat on the same couch, on opposite sides, they'd get pushed apart in some way or another. Now they let them stay in the same bed all night, without anyone even coming in to check. Maybe it's because we're both so injured, he thought. I have a busted leg and she has a busted, well, head, so maybe they figure we're both so messed up that we couldn't do anything anyway.

Ginny rolled over and pushed herself against his back. She kissed him on the back of his neck and then put her arm around him. Harry turned a bit to face her. "Morning."

She kissed him. "Morning. How're you feeling today?"

"The same as always. How about you?"

"Not so bad." They lied there for a second, but then his stomach interrupted the moment. "Awe..." Harry moaned. She put her hand on his stomach. "Breakfast time."

"No..."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No, I don't want to move." Ginny got up and pulled him up. "Noooo..."

"Come on." She handed him the crutches. "We can come back once we're done."

"Mmmm... okay." She supported him on his bad side and he hopped down the stairs. They sat at the table, Ginny with her head on Harry's shoulder; Ron and Hermione showed up as well and sat on the opposite side. Fred and George came too. They each sat on an opposite side, looking at the two couples. Then they looked at each other, stood up and reached across the table to hug each other.

"I love you!" They said to each other.

"Shut it," Hermione said, pulling Fred back down. George sat back down and leaned over, putting his head on Ginny and hugging them both.

"Stop it," she moaned, pushing him away but smiling. Mrs. Weasley came in to finish breakfast, followed by Cho and one of the babies. Ginny gasped and jumped up, leaving both Harry and George a bit surprised. "Which one is this?" she asked.

"Belle, ze girl," Fleur said, sitting on the same side as Ron, Hermione, and Fred. "Zer iz one boy an' one girl."

"And her hair?"

"Lookz blond, but it could change. An' ze boy, Bill, lookz blond az well."

"Ha!" Ginny shrieked. "I told you!" She went over to Fred. "Give me my three galleons."

"But they could change!"

"We didn't bet how they'd look when they were older, we bet on now. Give me my money."

"Damn she's good,"George said.Fred handed over the money.

"Oh, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said as she handed out bowls for breakfast. "You got a letter this morning." She handed him an envelope, addressed from the ministry.

"Now what do they want?" Harry mumbled. He opened the letter. What he read shocked him so much that he crumpled it up and frizbeed it to the trash.

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing. Just Scrimgeour being his normal self."

"What? Let me see that." She got up and went to the garbage, where she picked out the letter and uncrumpled it. Her jaw dropped.

"Out with it. What does it say?" Ron asked.

" 'Dear Mr. Potter, I would like to invite you to a hero dinner in your honor.' "

"Well what's so wrong with that?" Fred asked.

"I don't want any of the ministry's sympathy or congratulations. Like they ever helped me get anywhere in the first place."

"You can bring a guest too, if you like," Ginny read.

"I'm not going."

"You should go 'Arry," Fleur said.

"Now, now, we're not going to push Harry into doing anything he doesn't want to," Mrs. Weasley said, pouring oatmeal into everyone's bowls.

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome dear."

"I think," Ginny said, sitting back down, "that you should write back to him and tell him to stuff it."

"That would be hilarious," Hermione said. "Seeing his face when he opened it."

"What is it that you have against Scrimgeour anyway?" George asked. "I mean, not that I blame you, but..."

"The stupid git asked me to show up at the ministry sometimes. Like as some kind of publicity stunt for them on how 'well' they were doing in the war against Voldemort. Am I a billboard or something? When did the ministry ever help me? There the ones that wanted to expel me, remember? Funny how they disappeared now since Dumbledore's gone."

"And now they act like they're going to take all the credit for it, like they helped you so much," Ron said.

"Exactly!"

"If you ask me, we should be the ones taking some credit," Ron added, nodding toward Hermione.

"Yes well no one asked you, now did they?" Fred said. Ron threw a spoon at him.

"Hey! That was mine!" Hermione said, getting up to retrieve her spoon.

"The letter says that you should reply quickly," Ginny noted.

"Well then, I'll have to do it right now. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."

"No," Ginny said, holding his shoulder, "you'll do it after oatmeal."

"Fine then."

"You would hurt the oatmeal's feelings." George said. "Putting Scrimgeour before it. It's okay oatmeal. He didn't mean it."

-------------------------------------------------------

Harry was back up in Ginny's room. She was in the shower at the moment. He just lied there, gazing out the window. He felt the sudden urge to go outside, and the semi-sickening feeling that he would probably be inside most of the summer. Kind of hard to do anything outside with a broken knee. Then he wondered, what's taking it so long to heal? He remembered quite clearly what Anderson had said, but it still didn't make any sense.

Ginny came into the room in nothing but a bathrobe and slippers and began toweling her hair. Harry looked back out the window, telling himself to stop thinking some of the things that he was thinking. She dropped the towel and lied down next to him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Something's wrong."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Fine. I was only thinking."

"About what?" Harry sighed. "Come on, tell me. Please?"

"I was thinking a lot of things."

"Like?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay then." She got back up and grabbed a comb, then came back and began combing her hair. Harry sat up. He put his arms around her and buried his face in her tangled up hair. He laughed. "What?"

"It's funny."

"What's funny?"

"Your hair. It smells like ginger."

"How's that funny?"

"Never mind." He leaned back and watched her comb her hair.

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Only one more kids!


	29. The Future

Notes: Yes, this is the last one. I simply cannot think of any way to stretch it more. But then I get to start the sequel. Pretty much everything will be cleared up here. One thing you won't see is what happened to Draco and Snape. For that you'll have to read the sequel. So, onward we go!

--------------------------

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked. "Don't say nothing. I know something is bothering you, so tell me."

"It's - I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"No, I -"

"Come on."

"Gin-"

"Tell me!"

"No." He rolled over, trying to avoid her.

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I'm afraid!" he admitted. "There I said it. Happy now?"

She paused for a second, and then said: "You're allowed to be afraid Harry. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"No, I'm not. I'm supposed to be the brave hero."

"Having courage means that you stand up and fight, even when you're scared. Everyone gets scared sometimes Harry. It just depends on what you're afraid of. Ron, for instance, was afraid of the teenie tiny spider that went crawling across the kitchen. Jumped up on a chair like a little girl - you should have been there, it was hilarious. But you, you're afraid of bigger things than little spiders."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

"Okay then. What's been bothering you?"

"Everything."

"What about everything?"

Harry lied there for a second, thinking about it. How would he say it so that it wouldn't sound stupid? He knew Ginny didn't care how it sounded, but he cared how it did. "I wasn't supposed to live."

"What?"

"I wasn't supposed to live. I wasn't supposed to survive. I was supposed to die. But I didn't. I planned everything on the fact that I was supposed to die and it didn't happen."

"So now you don't know what to do?"

"Yes, basically. I gave up any chance I had of a future because I wasn't supposed to get that far. And now that I have there's nothing left for me to do."

"How are you so sure you weren't supposed to live?"

"I am supposed to live."

"But you just said you weren't."

"I didn't think I was, before. Now I know I am. I'm part of the plot that I made it my life's mission to stop."

"What are you talking about?"

Harry paused for a while, knowing how stupid he was going to sound. Finally he said: "I'm a horcrux."

"You're delusional."

"No, it's true." He turned to her and flipped up his bangs, which were now ridiculously long. "Look at it."

"Look at what? The scar? Big deal, Harry. You've had it for the last sixteen years." (since he got it when he was about a year old. 17-1 ->16)

"It's different."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is. I've looked at it every day of my life. I think I'd know. It's different than it used to be."

"How's it different?"

"It's, well, deeper. Like... I don't know... it used to be old and dull, but now it's more like -"

"Like it's new," Ginny said. "Like you just got it."

"Yeah."

"So how does that lead to you being a horcrux?"

"I was thinking... what would happen to a horcrux when its main part died? Would it die too? But it couldn't, because the whole point of a horcrux is so that the main part never dies. But still, would it feel anything?" He sighed."I don't know. I'm not making much sense..."

"No," she agreed. "Hold on. Let me see it." She pushed his head down a bit so that she could see his forehead. "Hmm..."

"I might be delusional. I don't know..."

"No, you'd know better than I would. So, if this were all true, how would your scar get deeper from you being a horcrux?"

"When I tried to kill him, I got dizzy."

"Yeah?"

"But why? Why else would it affect me at all? I know I was sick and all that, but I shouldn't have been that dizzy, right? And when I finally killed him, it felt like my head was going to split open."

"So...what happened to the other horcruxes after he died?"

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He realized that he had no idea... All the horcruxes were at Grimmauld Place, or at least most of them. "I don't know. Wait - wouldn't they all have to be gone already? That's how I killed him anyway..."

"Well then, I guess there's nothing against your idea. Nothing to prove it wrong."

"That's what I was afraid of," Harry said, getting up.

"Why?"

"I thought after I finally got him it would all be over. Everything would be different. I could have a semi-normal life... but now I can never get away from him. I am him."

"No you're not. You might be two percent Voldemort but that does not mean anything."

"Yes it does. They can still bring him back through me."

"Harry -" she got up as well.

"Or any offspring of mine -"

"Harry, honestly, it doesn't matter that much. Nearly all of the Death Eaters are dead or in Azkaban. Who would-"

"That's what they thought last time Ginny!"

"Well, the only thing I can think for you to do is to protect yourself - and any offspring. That way they can't ever get to it. You are still invincible to them as long as there's someone to protect you. I can name at least fifteen right now." Harry sighed, not knowing what else to say. "I know, I know. But there are some things you just have to deal with, you know? This is one of them. It's nothing. You can overcome it. You overcame him while he was alive, you can overcome him while he's dead."

"Again, that's what we thought last time."

"Don't worry about it now," she said, smoothing his hair down. "Don't worry about it until it happens. You've been waiting for years to live your life - so live it, and worry about all that other stuff later."

"Okay, fine," he said. "But-"

"No but. Here, lie back down." She pulled him over to the bed again and forced him back down. "You need to rest."

"I'm so tired of people telling me that."

"Well, it's true. Oh, by the way, you have an appointment at St. Mungo's this week."

"Great." There was a knock at the door. Hermione stuck her head in.

"Your mum says it's time to eat." Ginny oulled Harry back up and they headed downstairs with Hermione.

------------------------------------------------

Harry sat, looking outside. Ginny came in and sat on his lap. "What you looking at?"

"The sky."

"Oh..." she looked. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I got a letter today."

"Amazing."

"From a school."

"Oh."

"Since Hogwarts won't be reopening for a while. They want to make sure everything is okay this time, for real."

"Which school?"

"I dunno. Somewhere up north. Private, so it costs tons of money. But that school and another one in the south are letting all Hogwarts students come for free. They just have to pay for books and all that."

"Neat." They were quiet for a second.

"You didn't get a letter?"

"Why would I?"

"I thought that, you know, maybe the ministry would want you in their school, or something like that..."

"I'm not so sure that I would go, even if they did want me."

"Why not? You're so worried about your future. It would be a good step to take."

"It's complicated."

"Of course." She was quiet then. He knew she wasn't going to say anything else about it then, but she'd nag him about it later. She wouldn't get it anyway. Harry didn't want to be a part of anything that involved Rufus Scrimgeour, no matter what it was.

But then, he thought, if I am going to live that long, what would I do? If it were just me then I wouldn't care, but Ginny... Suddenly something hit the window that Harry had jut been looking out of. Ginny instinctively grabbed onto him, and he moved a bit so that he was between her and the window. He looked up slowly and went for the window.

"Be careful," Ginny said quietly. He got up and looked... nothing. There was nothing there. No one on the ground (or in the sky, for that matter), nothing. But then he saw it - a tiny owl, flipping around just above the window. It was holding a letter nearly bigger than it was.

"For crying out loud," Harry said. He opened the window. "Get in here." The tiny owl fluttered in and threw the letter toward him, flying in circles around the ceiling.

"See? I knew you'd get something." Ginny said.

"And from the ministry too." He threw it away.

"Don't be like that." She picked it up and opened it. "Don't you at least want to know what it says?"

"Not really." He sat back down, while she scanned the letter.

" 'Dear Mr. Potter, the English Ministry of Magic's Auror's Academy would like to accept you to their auror training program.' "

"What?" He stood up and grabbed the letter from her.

"That's what it says."

He scaned over it and laughed. "Yeah, read the small print."

She read: " 'However, we can not accept anyone into our program who has not sucessfully completed all seven years of undergraduate school.' "

"Yeah. That's going to happen."

"Wait - those two schools are accepting you too. For free."

"Really?"

"Really. You can choose either and the ministry will pay for all of it. Guess they want you a lot."

"I don't want them."

"You might not have a choice."

"True."

"Sometimes we have to do what we don't want to."

"I know, I know..."

"So? Which one would you go to? Oh! Come with me! Then we could be classmates, since we'd both be in the same year."

"I didn't realize you were that excited about it. If I knew that's all it takes to please you..."

"Oh, shut it. I -" Then there was a scream from below them. Two pairs of feet stampeded up the stairs.

"Harry?" They heard. "Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry!"

"Oh my..."

"Harry!" They pounded on the door. "Harry!"

"Okay! Don't bust the door down." He opened the door and Hermione flew in, followed slowly by Ron.

"Look I - oh, you got one too! And so did Ron! Oh! This is great! Look!" She shoved her letter in his face. It was the same as his, only with her name on it. "Ron! Come on, let's go show your mum."

"But I -" Ron said. "I just got up here..." He followed her slowly. Then there was another shriek from below them.

Harry sighed. "I guess I don't have much of a choice now."

"No, you don't," Ginny said. "But it's the right thing to do."

"Yeah, I know."

Ginny leaned up and kissed him. "It'll be okay. I promise."

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Okay, I lied. There will be one more, but it won't be longer than a paragraph or two.


	30. Gifts from the Dead

Notes: Okie dokie then. THIS is the last one. Every good thing has to end...

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Harry and Ginny popped just outside of Hogsmeade (they still couldn't apparate into Hogsmeade). He had gotten a letter from McGonagall, wanting to see him about something. To do that he needed to go to Hogwarts, but he didn't want to go alone.

They walked quickly. Harry did his best to keep his eyes down while Ginny guided him. The grounds were eerily quiet - of course, there weren't any students, but it was still unnerving. They went up the stairs to the office. The gargoyle statue was open. Apparently she wasn't worried about anyone unexpected coming in. Maybe she has a lot of visitors today, he thought.

As they climbed the stairs, Lupin came down the opposite way. He smiled at Harry and touched his shoulder, then continued on. They both entered the office. "Ah, Harry," McGonagall said. "Good, good. I hoped you'd come."

Harry told Ginny to wait outside. "Are you sure?" she whispered. He nodded, and she left.

There was a long role of parchment, starting on the desk, to the floor, and half way around the office. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Do you know what this is?"

"No."

"I'm surprised we didn't find it earlier. Who wouldn't notice this?" she motioned around the room. "But I recently found it. Haven't had time to look through the office, you know. It is something very important..." she paused, looking up at Harry. "It's his will."

Harry understood who 'he' was. "You mean, he left me something?"

"Yes. Quite a few things, actually. Most of it is to go to the school, of course, but the rest of it... seems like he left a little something for everyone he liked. I believe you saw Mr. Lupin leaving."

"Yeah, I did."

McGonagall pointed to a spot on the parchment. "You see this?" It was a rather long paragraph. "That's you."

"Really?"

"First thing is..." she read the parchment, and then looked around the room. "Oh, yes." She went to the opposite wall and pulled something off. "Here you are."

Harry didn't recognize it as first. Then he opened it... Gryffindor's sword. "Wow... I..."

"He says he thought you'd be the only person who could respect it. Next... Yes, look behind you."

Harry turned. The Mirror of Erised shined at him. "What? I... I thought he got rid of it..."

"Did he? Or did he just tell you that he had so that you wouldn't go looking for it? Of course, if you don't want it, the school can keep it."

"No, no. I'll take it." Harry pulled out his wand and popped it to Grimmauld Place. He didn't know exactly what he could do with it, but he wanted to keep anything that Dumbledore had given him. "What else?"

"That," she said, pointing to a wall.

"His pensive?" McGonagall nodded.

"And a few dozen memories." She went into the closet and pulled out arms full of bottles, setting them inside the pensive. Harry popped it to Grimmauld Place as well. "Is that it?"

"Hmm... he says that you seem to like the school's thestrals. You can take one if you like."

That's odd, Harry thought. Although it would be neat to have an invisible horse. "Umm, well, I don't really have a place for one."

"You could leave it here. I'm sure Hagrid would take good care of it for you."

"Sure." McGonagall continued to scan the paragraph, and Harry looked around. Something caught his eye. By the window was a large cup... the Goblet... McGonagall noticed him looking.

"Would you like that? It's one of those things for the school, but I don't know how -"

"No. You keep it. I don't want it."

"Okay then. One last thing. He says you can have you're house elf back."

"I don't want him either."

"Which one? There are two."

"Two?"

"Yes." She read: "Kreacher and Dobby."

"Dobby isn't mine."

"As I remember he seems to have a particular attraction to you. I don't think he'd mind. And I don't blame you for not wanting the other one -I don't know who would."

"You can do whatever you want with Kreacher."

"And Dobby? Shall I call him up and ask him? He is a free elf, after all." Before Harry could stop her she had already called him, and the elf popped into the room.

"Headmistress wants to see Dobby?" he asked.

"Yes. Do you remember him?" She motioned to Harry.

Dobby's face lit up. "Yes. Dobby knows Harry Potter."

"Would you like to work for him?"

"Dobby? Work for Harry Potter?"

"The old headmaster left you to him. Of course, you are a free elf, so you could stay here if you wish-"

"No! Dobby will work for Harry Potter, if that is what Harry Potter wants."

"I'd be glad to have you work for me, Dobby," Harry said.

"Then Dobby will work for Harry Potter." He seemed more excited than a kneazle with kneazle-nip.

"Wait outside Dobby," Harry said. "Until I'm done talking to the headmistress." Dobby left. "Is there anything else?"

"I don't believe so. If I find anything I'll have it sent to you."

---------------------------------------------------------

The three of them headed back toward Hogsmeade. Harry carried the sword, walking slightly ahead of Dobby and Ginny, who were busy getting to know each other. He stopped, looking toward the lake. "Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute." They continued down the path, while Harry turned and headed toward the glittering stone in the distance. He kneeled beside it, using the stone for balance.

Then he looked around him. So many memories were here. From the first boat ride across the lake, to crashing the flying car in the willow, to chasing Pettigrew across the grounds (who still hadn't been caught, by the way), to the Tournament, to the thestrals, to the funeral... so much had happened in that little square chunk of land.

He looked at the stone; He could picture Dumbledore's smiling face, even though he was dead and could not smile anymore. Yes, he admitted it now. He was dead, but that didn't matter. What a person does in life is more important than how or when they die. And Dumbledore had done quite a lot, especially for Harry.

Harry smiled at the rock. "Well," he said quietly, "I got him... But I guess you already know that." He looked out at the sunset over the lake, and then back to the tomb. "Thank you."

"Harry?" Ginny asked. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," he said, getting back up.

"Look at that sunset. Remember when we used to sit and watch it?" He nodded, looking with her. She stepped over and put her arm around him. They stayed like that for a second.

"We'd better get going. Dobby's about ready to explode."

"I've noticed." They turned to leave. "It'll be odd, having a house elf. I never had one before."

" Grimmauld Place is quite large. We might need the help."

"Yeah. Oh, by the way, mum wanted to know if we were coming to dinner. I dunno what to do with Dobby if we're gone..."

"I'm sure he could occupy himself."

"We should hurry then, before Ron eats it all."

"Yeah. Dobby? Come on." Dobby ran up, and the three of them apparated away.

**LA FIN!**

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Last notes: Peter and Bellatrix were never caught. I have to give him something to catch in the sequels. Well, until next time, have a Harry day.


End file.
